


I'm Your Boy

by kateyboosh, starsonthebrow



Category: The Mighty Boosh RPF
Genre: A loving freakin relationship, Alternate Universe, Appreciation of Noel's assets, Appreciation of Noel's back, Appropriate uses of neckties, Art school boy toy? More like Tart school boy toy, Banter, Blowjobs, City Of Love, Daddy and boy toy, Daddy goes a bit dark, Dick Touching, Disgruntled assistants, Domesticity, Dress Up, Emphasis on ASSets, Fluff, Fun at gigs, Happy Ending, Inappropriate uses of neckties, Intimacy, It's the little things, Julian develops a sweet tooth of his own, Julian feels fortunate and grateful, Julian has diversified stocks and a... faithful assistant, Julian indulges Noel, Julian indulges Noel’s sweet tooth, Julian is a musician, Julian looks hot in glasses, Julian of fine asses, Julian's groove and how he gets it back, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mutual adoration, Noel is a connoisseur of fine art, Noel is a rockstar boy, Noel knows all his best angles, Noel likes musicians, Noel likes that too, Noel’s cock is wildly immodest, Panties glorious panties, Perfect boyfriend Julian, Rimming, Romance, Sexy lucid dreaming, Silver nails and where Noel puts them, Smut, Snogging and second base in the reptile room, Straight up Noelian, They forget dessert... but do they really forget dessert?, This pairing not safe for cheap furniture, Un-Dress Up, We are soft for art boy Fielding, and so is Julian, and what is a fine ass if not a work of art, bubble baths, declarations, fluffy as a cloud, this pairing not safe for expensive furniture, we indulge ourselves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:09:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26684938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kateyboosh/pseuds/kateyboosh, https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsonthebrow/pseuds/starsonthebrow
Summary: "Nothing has changed, really, he tries to remind himself. It’s still his flat, the little plants over the kitchen sink, the extra-large, cushy furniture in the sitting room that’s supposed to fit his frame but doesn’t. The little 'x' at the end of the string of numbers peeks out at him as he flips through letters and bills and advertisements. Nothing has changed (but everything has changed)."This is what happened after we stayed up too late on Tumblr, had 12 ideas in a row that quickly grew to a 50 page notes doc, and cemented our shared brain twins status. Basically, we said daddy/boy toy, but make it romantic and intimate. If the fuckin' doesn't kill you, the feelin' will.
Relationships: Julian Barratt/Noel Fielding
Comments: 45
Kudos: 18





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Julian lives the corporate life, but a chance meeting and three dates bring color to his life.

Julian isn't expecting to meet him. He isn't expecting to meet anyone. His alarm wakes him at the same time it does every morning from the same dreamless sleep he has every night. He has the same shower and breakfast and crap cup of coffee, and he drives the same route and parks in the same spot outside his office. It's the same as every other day.

He isn't expecting anything.

His day goes by with phone calls and client meetings and emails and an endless string of numbers in spreadsheets. There's barely any time to take a breather and no time to stretch his legs and nip out for lunch. Julian makes it to 3:30, and when his last client of the day calls his assistant Dave to postpone their meeting until next week, he breathes a sigh of relief. He's out of the building and into his car before the motion sensing lights in his office shut off. 

Julian catches his reflection in the rearview mirror. He could drive the same route back to his flat, reheat the same crap coffee from this morning, eat the same dinner as last night, have a shower and set his alarm for the next same day. Rewinding and fast forwarding through his routine, spending his weekend doing laundry or sat on the couch in front of the telly, glancing at the clock until it's time to go to bed. 

He turns the car off, locks the door, and walks in the opposite direction of his flat and his office.

He stops outside of the zoo. It's five or six minutes away from his office. He's been there twice in the six years he's worked in that building. 

Julian pays the admission and gets an ice cream at the first concession before he puts his wallet back in his trousers. He wanders past the penguins, dapper in their suits, and loosens his tie. It's quiet this afternoon. A couple of teenagers are holding hands by the bear enclosure; some pensioners prop each other up as they shuffle past the entrance to the aviary. 

Julian's planning on finding a bench to finish his ice cream, then looking at the big cats, then finding another concession for another ice cream, just because he can.

And then he sees him.

The first thing he notices are his hands. One is wrapped around an oil pastel, the other balancing a sketch pad on his lap. Julian can tell from his grip that he's fully focused, concentrating on what's in front of him. He's clutching a bit of tissue in his hand, something for blending colors together. Julian knows by the short, quick strokes he's putting on the paper and the riot of colors already spread over his fingers that he's not likely to use it. He doesn't linger long enough after finishing a line to blend anything; every movement of his hand across the page is swift and sure, a measure of controlled intensity. 

Julian watches the trees and sky materializing in electric blue and coral on the black background before he trips over his own feet and knocks the rest of his dripping ice cream directly down the front of his white buttondown.

"Shit!"

The kid startles, his head snapping up, his hand hovering above a very thick, very unplanned line down the middle of the page. 

Julian notices his huge blue eyes next as they look him up and down, then the mischievous grin that curls across the kid's face.

"Alright?" 

Julian feels his face start to redden as the kid continues to stare at him with an appraising glance. 

“Yeah, fine, thanks.” He drops his eyes to his sticky front, patting his pockets while trying to hold the material away from his jacket.

The kid abandons his drawing and is standing in front of Julian, still clutching the bit of crumpled tissue just as the worst of the dripping bits of ice cream start sliding down toward the band of his trousers. 

“Here, have this.” 

Julian thinks he means to offer the tissue to him and holds out his hand, but the kid quickly tugs one side of his shirt out of his pants instead, holding it up and dabbing at the stain. He gets most of it as Julian tries to stand very, very still, watching the breeze blowing the choppy bits of dark hair sticking up at the back of the kid’s ducked head.

“There, that should do it…” 

The kid trails off, his tongue stuck in the corner of his mouth. He tosses the tissue in a bin at the side of the bench and grins again. “Or not.”

When Julian looks down, the side of his shirt is a swirl of colors, ground in by the pastels all over the kid’s fingers. The kid’s hand almost comes up to play in the hair at the back of his head before he freezes. It’s followed by a sheepish, “Sorry about that. Hope it wasn’t expensive.”

Julian figures he got a good six, maybe seven hours of wear out of his brand new shirt. He coughs and waves his hand. 

“Got it on special.” 

He tries not to remember the tailor checking his measurements and showing him his fabric choices. He tries not to remember picking wrinkle resistant fabric over stain resistant. 

“Found it on the discount rack.” 

He definitely tries not to remember writing the cheque, needing bespoke shirts to comfortably fit his shoulders and the length of his arms.

When the kid smiles at him again, Julian can’t help but grin back. It’s actually kind of funny, really. “We’re even. Kind of wrecked your drawing.”

“Oh,” the kid says. “’S fine.” He sits back down, grabbing his discarded tin of pastels. He rolls them through his fingers, oranges and soft yellows and blues, and picks one at random. With a few flicks of his wrist, the line materializes into a lilac purple Eiffel tower. 

“Spice the place up a little bit. Getting well bored sitting here staring at nothing,” he murmurs absentmindedly, attention rapt on the page. Seconds later, a pink ape wearing sunglasses is hanging from one side. 

The kid drops his pastels. He leans back on the bench, lengthening his torso, a slice of skin peeking out under the hem of his shirt. Julian figures he's probably going for his mobile, checking in with his mates or his girlfriend, seconds away from forgetting the bloke in the sticky shirt. The kid fishes a couple of crumpled notes out of the pocket of his leather jacket and holds them out to Julian. 

“Get us a couple of Cornettos?”

Julian’s fingers brush the kid’s and then he’s walking back in the direction of the last concession, straightening the notes out, the lightest pink streak of pastel on his index finger.

*

The kid’s deep into another drawing when Julian gets back, but he closes his sketch pad when he sees the ice cream. He shuts his eyes and sinks down into the bench, turning his face up to the sun as he licks at the cone. Julian tries not to stare, watching the little flicks of his tongue and the slide of his Adam’s apple and how he’s wiggling his legs a little bit. 

“I’m Noel, if you were wondering.” 

He’s glad he’s looking at Noel’s face instead of his other… assets… when Noel opens one eye to peer at him.

Julian smiles back. “Nice to meet you, Noel If You Were Wondering. I’m Julian, Julian Barratt. In case you were curious.”

Noel’s voice is soft. “Nice to meet you, Julian, Julian Barratt, In Case You Were Curious.” He balls up the ice cream wrapper and slumps further down on the bench. Another peek of pale, smooth skin, the crest of his hipbone, a barely-there dusting of hair trailing down into his drainpipes. “Is it four yet?”

Julian looks at his watch before Noel can catch him staring. “Yeah, twelve past.” He feels a little tug of disappointment. “Somewhere to be?”

“Yeah, life drawing. In about ten minutes.” Noel stretches leisurely and sits up, hands coming to his hips as he freezes in a comfortable, familiar pose. “Shouldn’t have had that ice cream, don’t know how I’ll sit for an hour now.”

Julian reddens. He turns to toss the rest of his ice cream in the bin to try to cover it. He clears his throat as Noel rises and starts gathering his supplies to shove back into his bag. He does not draw his own picture in his head of Noel’s body, petite and pale and completely bare, posed in front of a class full of eyes. He ignores the little flickering flame dancing in the pit of his stomach. He tells himself he’s not envious, not jealous of an entire class of art students he’s never met or thought of before ten seconds ago. He’s certainly not feeling protective of a kid he met half an hour ago.

He tells himself he’s being friendly, capping off what could have been a disaster afternoon by doing something nice. He thinks of his quiet flat and his quiet life. Endless strings of numbers that stretch and tower and accumulate but only distill down to one when he shuts the lights off and pulls the duvet over himself at night. Secure, but gray. Colors on the page, colors transferring from a smaller hand to his. He tells himself he’s not trying to extend their time together, not trying to come up with something, some reason to stop the kid - Noel - from modeling for that class. 

He knows immediately that he’s lying to himself. Julian takes his car keys out of his pocket.

“Drive you there?”

*

“This one here.” 

Noel gestures at the row of buildings and waits for Julian to pull up to the curb before unclipping his safety belt. He slowly gathers his school bag and his tin of pastels and flips the visor down to ruffle his hair in the mirror. There are napkins scattered at his feet, dotting Julian’s floor mats, covered with thick streaks of pastel.

His art college is about five or six minutes in the opposite direction of the zoo; Julian drives by it every day on his way to the office. The short distance hadn’t given Julian much time to think of something.

Now or never.

“Noel? I was wondering if you’d like to... if you’d enjoy going out for a meal sometime? Something more substantial than ice cream. Tonight, perhaps?”

Noel smirks.

“I can’t miss lecture tonight - they frown on that when you’re a student - but yeah, I’d like that. Like to see you again.” 

His expression is all innocence, devoid of any implication that he’d be anything but a student, certainly never a nude model. “Give us your number, Julian.”

Julian feels a bolt of relief shoot through his core as he fumbles with the visor and brings out a business card. He sees Noel’s brow lift slightly when he reaches the section that lists Julian as a financial planner at one of the nicest firms in town. He tucks the card into his bag and takes a biro out of the front pocket, grabbing Julian’s wrist the next second. He scrawls his number across Julian’s palm and leaves an “x” after it.

“Call you tomorrow? Thanks, Julian.” And then he’s gone.

Julian fumbles in his pocket for his phone. He snaps a picture of his hand with the camera and then balances another business card on the dash, writing Noel’s number down on the back. He taps the number into his phone before he pulls away from the curb, too. For safekeeping.

*

Noel doesn’t call him the next day. They end up texting that night.

Julian unlocks the door to his flat, ignores the coat rack and the key rack and dumps his keys and his bag and his wrinkled jacket in a heap on the floor. He adds his shoes and his tie to the pile for good measure, then strips out of his ruined shirt and tosses it over the back of one of the chairs in the kitchen.

He paces for a bit and catches himself wandering. He grabs the post and starts sorting through it, trying to give his hands something to do, trying to slip back into his normal after-work routine, trying to forget the ice creams and the bench and the lingering scent of Noel’s leather jacket in his car. 

_Nothing has changed, really_ , he tries to remind himself. It’s still his flat, the little plants over the kitchen sink, the extra-large, cushy furniture in the sitting room that’s supposed to fit his frame but doesn’t. The little “x” at the end of the string of numbers peeks out at him as he flips through letters and bills and advertisements. Nothing has changed ( _but everything has changed_ ).

He sets the post on the edge of the table when he spots that the canisters on the counter are out of order. He leaves those to look through the cabinets and then the fridge for leftovers. By the time his coffee is finished brewing, the kitchen’s in a state, he’s sweating, and he doesn’t want a hot drink.

He showers for far longer than usual, takes close to an hour making himself dinner, another half hour to eat, and finally sits down on his sofa, turning the telly on for distraction. He’s not expecting to fall asleep, but it’s dark when he wakes up, dirty dishes and pans left on the stove. Typically, he’d never leave the kitchen in such a mess. He’d stick to his normal routine, clean dishes stacked orderly and neat in the cupboard, all the countertops wiped down, then one cup of tea before bed.

Julian looks at his shirt draped over the back of the chair, a multicolored white flag of surrender, and grabs his phone instead.

*

The light from his phone is bright in his dark bedroom. He taps gingerly on the new message screen, his thumb hovering for a moment over Noel’s name.

“How does one get pastel out of fabric?”

Julian sets his phone on his nightstand after he sends the message and sets his alarm. He’s fully intending to try to fall back asleep and make an early start to the office tomorrow because as he reminded himself earlier, nothing has changed. He’s just gotten comfortable when the light from his screen glows gently in the direction of his closed eyelids.

Two new messages, a photo and a text.

Everything’s changed.

“im not the person you should be asking x” is below a selfie. Noel’s in a plain white t-shirt with the neck and sleeves cut off. The side of the shirt is covered in swiped handprints of pastel along his ribcage and what looks like dried dots of paint near the bottom hem. He’s angled the camera to capture the line of his jaw and one of his eyes, but not his mouth. It doesn’t matter; Julian can tell from the lift of the streak of purple on the side of his face that he’s grinning.

Before he can respond, another photo, this one captioned “other sides even worse x.” There’s a bit of black paint on his collarbone. The opposite side of his t-shirt is covered in thick pastel fingerprints. He’s held the camera a little differently, a little lower down so Julian can see that the band of his tiny pants is stained with red pastel over his hip. When he exits the picture, there are two more messages.

“only joking. take it off and soak it. send a pic while u wait x”

“show those big broad shoulders ;) x”

Julian can’t help it. He grins. 

He runs his hand through his hair and sits up, his elbows resting against the pillows. He opens his camera and snaps a few pictures. Yeah, his shoulders look quite alright in his t-shirt, he has to admit, especially against the stark white background of his bedding. He’s more surprised by the assured expression on his face than anything.

Julian sends the picture he deems best and then texts Noel immediately after.

“Meet you at the zoo tomorrow afternoon?”

“meet you on our bench x”

*

His first thought when his alarm goes off, the weak morning sunlight filtering into his bedroom, is that he has a date. He immediately tries not to think of it as a date. It’s not a date. It’s just a meeting between two… new associates. 

He winces. Not associates; he’s not trying to advise the kid on the benefits of stocks over bonds at his age. Although, stocks over bonds at his age is good advice; plenty of time for financial growth over the kid’s lifetime, plenty of time to weather any risks in the market-

Julian cuts his financial planning thoughts short. Whatever it is he’s doing, it’s definitely not formal, not business. Friends? He doesn’t even know Noel’s last name yet.

A meeting between acquaintances, then. Acquaintances that exchange selfies after dark. And messages with winking faces. Signed with kisses.

Julian clears his throat, scrubs at his eyes and gets out of bed. He tries to follow his morning routine: shower, breakfast, crap coffee. He ties his tie with extra care. The normal mundanity starts to work, starts to lull him back into the comfort of sameness, until he gets to the car and the colorful napkins wink up at him from the footwell. Driving by the art college on his way to the office doesn’t really help either.

When he pushes through the doors to the building, he tries to keep consistent, steady, focused; his regular, reliable Julian self. He ignores the funny looks Dave shoots him when he catches Julian smiling for no reason as the morning ticks into the afternoon.

The breeze feels nice on his face as he walks to the zoo.

Noel’s waiting on the bench, sketchpad open, popcorn, a couple of melting ice creams and several chewed biros next to him. Julian nods at his pastel-free hands and the tigers climbing in black ink along the paper. “Those are good. No pastels today?”

Noel shakes his head and flops his sketchpad shut in his lap. “Made enough of a mess yesterday after lecture,” he says around a handful of popcorn. There’s a little glint in his eye, the same one he had in his first selfie, as he peels the wrapper off his ice cream and takes a lick, his little pink tongue darting out.

Julian nods. He thinks about keeping the hint of a smile he can feel forming on his face hidden and grins instead. “I could see that.”

They chat for a bit, little things about Julian’s day and how he came to work at the firm and what does he actually do in his big office all day, anyway? He changes the topic after a while, to Noel’s midafternoon lectures, the pieces he was working on last night and the ones he was planning out this afternoon. Noel scoots closer on the bench, the popcorn box between them, and hands Julian his sketchpad to flip through. In between more handfuls of popcorn, he tells Julian he likes coming during his breaks in lectures to draw the animals.

“The penguins, yeah, they’re right little characters, but you’ll get nothing off the reptiles.” They’re nearly two-thirds of the way through the book, Noel gesturing animatedly at a sketch of neon-bright lizards, when he catches the time on Julian’s watch. He bites his lip and scrapes the biros off the bench into his bag. Julian flips the book closed and watches him stash it. He stands to fish his car keys out of his pocket, ready to offer to drive Noel to his afternoon lecture. 

Noel’s smirking when he looks back at him, draped loosely over the bench. The little glint in his eye is back as he angles his body toward Julian’s and nods at the car keys.

“Bit of a shit first date. Had to buy everything and I don’t even get a kiss at the end.”

Julian wants to kiss every place the light falls on his face. He settles for sitting back down and cupping Noel’s jaw in his hands instead, smoothing his fingertips over the line of his sideburns. 

Noel’s eyes are closed and his lips are pink and parted and soft; Julian kisses him gently at first, but that night, lying in bed, he can’t remember which of them it was that deepened the kiss. He only knows that Noel didn’t care about being a little late to lecture, snogging on the bench until five minutes before his class was due to start. He only knows he’s meeting him again tomorrow, same time, same place.

*

Julian spends the next day appropriately preoccupied. He goes through his morning on auto pilot, thoughts consumed by shagged jet black hair and big blue eyes and too small jeans.

The universe throws him a curveball though when a crisis during a midafternoon meeting with a client leaves him scrambling to be finished by his usual time. He feels panicked as he types out a quick text, “Sorry, running a bit late today. Keep the bench warmed for me?”

Noel shoots back a message quickly, “i’ll be here. x”

Not a good look, being nearly an hour late on your second proper date he thinks as he hurries to their usual spot. Noel meets his eye from across the way and gives him a playful shake of the head. He’s smiling but Julian thinks he has to be a bit annoyed with him. 

Julian’s apologizing as soon as he’s within earshot, but Noel stops him and pulls him down beside him on the bench. He’s silenced before he can continue when Noel slides his hand to cup the back of his neck and pulls him in for a soft kiss. 

“S’Alright, you’re here now.” He smiles against his lips. “You’ll just owe me an hour. Any time, my request.” He leans back with a mischievous grin. 

Julian smiles, inwardly heaves a sigh of relief. “With interest.” 

Noel seems to sense the tension of Julian’s day. He gathers his things and gets up, pulling Julian by the hand to his feet along with him. “You know what helps me de-stress after a long day?” Before Julian can answer he declares triumphantly, “Flamingos!”

He pulls Julian along and for the first time they walk around looking at the animals together; Noel’s silver chelsea boots clicking on the pavement beside Julian’s expensive leather loafers. 

Julian is content to let Noel do most of the talking since he seems surprisingly versed in random animal trivia. As if being pulled together by an invisible force, they lean into each other and stand closer than necessary to look into the exhibits and read the markers; walking so close that they sometimes awkwardly knock arms. By the time they reach the flamingos Julian is relaxed and has mostly forgotten about his stressful afternoon and the rocky start to their date. 

When Noel isn’t animatedly talking with his hands he is constantly running them through his hair, fluffing and messing it up more than taming it. It’s a nervous habit, Julian realizes; that he’s usually always clutching a biro or a pastel and a pad and he’s not quite sure what to do with them if they aren’t occupied in this way.

As they walk toward the next exhibit Julian reaches down to take one of them in his, lacing his big fingers together with Noel’s much smaller ones. Noel seems taken aback by the gesture. He looks at Julian almost shyly with a tilt of his head and gives him a smile as he squeezes back. They fall into a comfortable silence walking along. 

Julian’s studying a pair of tortoises in the reptile room when Noel sidles up behind him, pressing his body against him, peering around his shoulder. 

“You know,” Noel starts, “out of all the reptiles, tortoises are probably the cheekiest.” 

Julian raises a brow. “How do you think?” He’s more aware of Noel pressed up against him than what he’s saying.

Noel shakes with giggles against his back. “Well, they’re really loud yeah?”

Julian is confused, “Loud??” He turns to look at him. 

Noel continues laughing, his eyes sparkling mischievously, “They’re really loud when they mate.” He throws his head back, screws his eyes shut and mimics a high pitched whine of ecstasy. 

Julian collapses into giggles. “You’re joking! How do you know that?!” 

Noel continues laughing, leaning against Julian’s chest red faced. “I saw it on a nature show!” 

Julian cackles and wraps his arms around the smaller man’s shoulders. He waits until their laughs subside and then deadpans, “Can you do it one more time? It kind of turned me on.” 

Noel gives him a playful push, “Get off, you perv! I knew you were too good to be true.” 

Julian sniggers, but reaches out to grab at Noel’s hand and pull him closer. “Too good, yeah?” 

Noel plays with his fingers and looks up, “Yeah? Wouldn’t have waited around an hour if you weren’t.” He’s smiling when he stretches up to place his lips on Julian’s. 

They kiss slow and softly at first with Noel holding Julian’s face. Julian tangles his hands into Noel’s silky hair as he opens his mouth to slide their tongues together. Julian feels butterflies in his stomach when Noel lets out a contented moan as he backs them into the nearest wall to bring their bodies together. He runs his hands over his shoulders, down to the small of his back. 

Julian’s tucked-in shirt is hindering any progress Noel wants to make, but he’s running his hands all over Julian’s clothed chest and down over his ribs. Julian’s aware that they are probably being watched over the security cameras, but he’s too wound up to care.

He reaches to trace along the hem of Noel’s t-shirt and lets his fingers dip underneath to feel the soft skin there just above the waistband of his tight drainpipes. Noel whines into his mouth and presses against him more. He slides his hands along the hem to his sides and brings his thumbs up under the material to trace along the boy’s hip bones while Noel kisses along his jaw and down his neck. 

He can feel Noel responding to him already and there’s very little that can be hidden in those jeans, although they're too pressed together for him to see. He wants to explore, to press his hands just there at his zip and trace the outline of him. Just as he’s about to let his fingers move to the bulge there voices along the corridor outside the room jolt him back to the present. 

They break apart quickly just as a group of loud teenagers push through the doors and turn around to face a tank as if they’ve been ardently studying the iguanas rather than each other’s tongues. 

After stalling a bit more it’s time for Noel to leave for class. His hair is messy and his cheeks are flushed a nice shade of pink. Julian does not want this to end. 

Julian drives him to class again and just as Noel is leaning over the console to give him a kiss, emboldened by the day’s events, he asks, “How about you come to my flat tomorrow? We’ll have a proper meal?” 

Noel grins at him, “That sounds genius.” He gives Julian a chaste kiss before he hops out of the car and saunters toward the building. Julian’s heart is racing as he pulls away toward home.

*

Julian typically doesn’t set his alarm for Saturday morning. If he can sleep in for a few extra minutes, even for an hour, on Saturday, it’s the most extravagant thing he does all week. But in anticipation of getting ready for their official third date, Julian sets his alarm for Saturday morning.

He showers quickly and dresses, pulling on one of his nicest v-neck jumpers, and heads to do his weekly shop. Before he forgets, he grabs his dry cleaning. He smiles at the sight of his ruined shirt.

The morning passes quickly with errands. When he comes home, he slides his dry cleaning ticket into the key rack, puts his purchases away and makes himself a quick lunch. When he wraps up half of his sandwich and puts it in the fridge, he doesn’t try to tell himself he’s not hungry. He knows he’s nervous.

Julian’s always been responsible and reserved, even as a student. He did what he needed to do to graduate on time with top marks, to secure his future. He was twenty-two years old and thinking of what his life would be like when he was 40, always planning for what was looming over the horizon but ignoring the joy he could have found in the present. Deferring it for later, when he was settled and secure. 

Within six months of starting his first professional job, he did what was expected of him and got married. When his relationship with his now ex-wife turned out to be less than fulfilling, he turned to his work, going the extra step for his boss and his clients and his co-workers. It made him a lot of money, a lot of financial security, but not a lot of happiness.

Julian does a few laps around his flat, tidying here and there. After adjusting the angle of the magazines on the coffee table for the third time with roughly three hours to go before Noel’s supposed to arrive, Julian takes himself out for a walk.

*

Julian turns down the heat and covers the pans, makes sure nothing has moved where he’s laid the table, and goes to his bedroom to change his shirt. He’s doing up the buttons when he hears Noel knocking on his flat door. He scrapes his hand through his hair and sprints to the hall.

Noel’s got a hand in his own hair and a box of Cornettos under his arm when Julian answers the door with several of his buttons in the wrong holes. Noel notices but doesn’t seem to mind. He reaches up on tiptoe and presses a chaste kiss to Julian’s mouth. Julian shivers when the frosty box touches the V of exposed skin at his chest. Still, he cups his hand around Noel’s jaw and brings him in closer for a deeper kiss.

“Thought these were better’n bringing flowers,” Noel breathes against his lips. Julian can’t help but agree. He invites him in.

*

The meal goes well; Noel’s enthusiastic about something home-cooked, even if it is just pasta with a green salad. Julian’s decent enough in the kitchen; since the divorce, he’s had time to get better at feeding himself out of simple necessity. He grins when Noel admits he runs on sweets and fruit and Pot Noodle most days. 

“That and popcorn. And ice cream,” he says. It might be the fading light outside that casts a glint in his eye as he rests his gaze on Julian’s lips. He smirks. “This coffee’s a bit rubbish, though.” Julian laughs at the cheek and shrugs. He’s not wrong, it’s always a bit rubbish.

When they’re finished eating and he’s cleared up, Julian tries his hardest to exercise restraint. He has to admit, with Noel pressed up against him from shoulder to knee on the sofa, he’s finding it quite difficult. He clears his throat and suggests they might want to watch a film, or have one of the ice creams Noel’s brought, or they could do both, there’s no reason why they couldn’t do both-

Noel’s hand curls into his. He shifts on the sofa, his fingers skimming over Julian’s jaw. His fingertips are warm on Julian’s chest when he slides his hand down into the V of Julian’s shirt. He presses little open-mouthed kisses over Julian’s jaw, his cheek, the corner of his mouth. 

“Julian, I wanna touch you,” he breathes, flicking over Julian’s lips with his tongue. “You wanna touch me? I want you to touch me.”

After their interruption yesterday, Julian can’t wait. He pulls Noel into his lap, hands gripping his arse, and crushes their lips together. Noel lets all his breath out in a rush as they kiss, opening his mouth, tangling his fingers around Julian’s neck. The contrast between how soft his lips are compared to his insistent kisses and the way he’s squirming in Julian’s lap, his little body coiled tight, has Julian as hard as he can remember in recent history.

Without breaking their kiss, Noel reaches for Julian’s hand, running it down his chest and over his stomach. He leans back slightly, nipping at Julian’s lips as he draws his hand lower. “Go on, touch me, please,” he breathes when Julian’s hand stalls.

The way he’s pushing his hips forward, Julian can see the outline of his cock straining against his jeans. Even if he wasn’t in that position, Julian figures he could still see it; they’re tight enough and my god, he’s big enough. He pulls Noel forward, tonguing him as he works his hands up under his tight t-shirt. They break long enough for Julian to pull the shirt over his head.

Julian leans back into the sofa and rests his hands on Noel’s hips, taking him in. He’s achingly hard but he doesn’t want to rush. He wants to enjoy this.

Noel’s skin is so soft and pale and smooth; Julian reaches out to brush his fingertips over Noel’s collarbone. He runs his palms down the length of his chest, sliding his thumbs over his nipples, down the taut skin over his ribs, the slight dip of his waist. Noel gasps a little at the thoroughness of Julian’s touches, flushed high up around his cheeks as he peers down, his eyes half-lidded.

Julian’s hands fall on the crest of Noel’s hips. He slides one across his stomach and rests it there; it covers nearly half of Noel’s body. There’s the tiniest inkling of hair trailing down from his navel into the band of his jeans. Julian slowly traces down; he fiddles with the button on Noel’s jeans and he squirms forward, kissing at Julian’s face, nosing at him to get to his neck. Noel moans against his skin, arches forward when Julian traces over his zipper and then pulls it down. His voice is low when he speaks, Noel’s soft hair tickling his lips. “Take them off.”

Noel stands on wobbly legs and peels his jeans off quickly. His body is petite compared to Julian’s, compact and smooth, but his thighs are thick with muscle. There’s a wet spot on the front of his tiny pants; they’re around his ankles before Julian can reach out to stop him from taking them off himself. The smallness of his body in comparison to his dick surprises Julian, but Noel’s back in his lap before he can take all of him in, fumbling with his belt and his jeans as Julian tries to unbutton his shirt. He lifts his hips up enough to get his jeans and pants down his thighs as Noel shifts and tugs his shirt off his shoulders.

The last of the light catches the blue of Noel’s eyes as Julian untangles his arms from his sleeves. He blinks slowly as he guides Julian’s hand down his bare chest and his stomach again, down his happy trail until Julian’s fingertips brush his pretty pink cock. He wriggles a little bit, eyelids fluttering, a low “ohhh” dropping from his lips. His voice is hot and desperate in Julian’s ear.

“Touch me, Julian.” 

Julian scoops him up and presses him to his chest with one arm as he shifts and swings his legs up onto the sofa, leaning back to pull Noel on top of him. Noel moans at all the sudden contact on his skin, jerking his hips forward into Julian’s stomach, the press of his cock solid and hot between their bodies. Julian manages to get his jeans and pants down the rest of the way, stepping on the hem of one leg and kicking them off as Noel rocks against him. Noel’s skin feels hot under his hands as he runs them over his back. “Sit up,” he whispers. “Let me see you, baby. Let me touch you.”

Noel huffs against his neck, but shakily slides between his legs. His cock is so slick and pink and nearly the size of Julian’s when he takes the both of them in hand. He knows neither of them is going to last long at first touch; he can’t remember any time in his life that he’s ever felt so turned on. His other hand falls to the muscle in Noel’s thigh, his thumb pressed in lightly, anchoring him as Noel moans above him.

He tries to jerk them slowly at first, savoring every sensation of Noel’s cock pressed tightly to his. Noel’s hands are in his hair, down his chest, circling his nipples. When they’re both leaking steadily, Julian can’t help but increase the pace, feeling his orgasm start to build and swirl in the base of his spine. As he speeds his hand, Noel reaches and quickly swipes his fingers over their heads. He brings his hand to his mouth and sucks at his fingers, moaning Julian’s name. Julian sits up a bit as he leans down, crushing their lips together. Julian can taste both of them on his tongue.

Noel’s chest is heaving when he breaks the kiss and buries his face in Julian’s neck, reaching up to lick at his ear, his fingers curled tightly around Julian’s biceps. “Mmmm, daddy, yessss,” he hisses. Julian’s grip tightens on his thigh. When he moans “More, daddy, more, more,” Julian’s dick twitches against his. He feels Noel grinning against his skin and with a few strokes more and a twist of his wrist, they’re both coming.

Julian’s hand falls away from them as his orgasm rips through his body, fire at the back of his neck and his spine. Noel drops onto him fully, tonguing him and rubbing his dick between their bodies, Julian’s stomach slick with their cum and sweat. He whimpers through the end of his orgasm, the muscle of his thigh and arse tight against Julian’s palms as he stills.

The room is dark and quiet as they come down, except for the sound of their combined breathing and the light kisses Julian dots over Noel’s cheekbones.

*

Julian’s just starting to nod off a little while later, Noel cuddled up, clinging around his neck, feeling relaxed and happier than he has in, well, years, when he feels Noel slip off of him. He hears Noel start to pull his jeans on and look around for his t-shirt. He opens his eyes and watches as Noel tucks his pants in his back pocket.

Julian coughs and Noel freezes. He gestures at Noel’s half-dressed frame. “Are you cold? I can turn the heating up, grab us a blanket.”

Noel bites at his lip and straightens his hem, eyes dropping to his bare feet. “No, s’alright. I, uh. I’m fine. I just thought….” He trails off, curling his toes into the carpet, making a little nervous half-gesture with his hands. His voice is small. “I just thought it was time for me to go, since, y’know, we both….” Another half-gesture, his other hand sliding through the hair at his crown.

“You can stay. If you want,” Julian manages to get out, blinking the last bits of sleep from his eyes. The look of surprise that crosses Noel’s face when he speaks lodges in his chest. “I’d really like you to. Uh, stay, that is. I’d like you to stay,” he says.

Noel pulls his t-shirt over his head and steps back out of his jeans. He crawls on top of Julian and settles, Julian’s hands running down his back. He falls asleep on Julian’s chest, his face peaceful. Julian can see the smallest hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to our fic writing outtakes in the end notes.
> 
> 1\. Have you ever heard tortoises mating? If you haven’t, you could look it up and let it scar you for life or you could just imagine Noel just being super cute instead.   
> 2\. Thigh gripping. A topic which starsonthebrow is very passionate about. That is all.  
> 3\. Actually, that’s not all, because when we reread for editing, we both sent each other “thigh gripping” at the same time. Brain twins.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting to know each other doesn't need to be awkward. First times don't need to be awkward either.

Noel wakes the next morning in Julian’s bed. He doesn’t remember walking there last night. He stretches out a little against the pillows and nudges up against Julian. He smiles shyly when he realizes Julian must have carried him in after he’d fallen asleep. After he’d been invited to stay. 

Noel hasn’t experienced many mornings waking up next to the person he’d been with the night before; he isn’t sure if he should get up now, or wait for Julian to wake, or…

Julian breaks his thoughts as he wakes and stretches his long limbs. He groans out a “Morning,” slowly opening his eyes. Noel looks up to meet his eyes from where he’s tucked into his side. “Alright?” he says with a timid grin on his face. Julian runs his hands down his back softly, almost hesitantly. He’s not woken up beside someone in a long time, but it just feels natural to pull Noel in closer. 

Julian holds him there, touching him gently, fingertips running down the dip of his spine and back up again. He’s half-awake but his mind is already racing. His attraction to Noel was instant; he can’t - won’t - deny it any longer. But now that he’s admitted it, it doesn’t make it any easier for him to make the next move, to show him or tell him just how much he likes him. He doesn’t want to say too little and offend him, or say too much and frighten him. He feels hesitation welling up in his chest, his usual reserve creeping in. And there’s still so much Julian doesn’t know about him; so much he doesn’t know about Julian.

Noel assumes that Julian is not the type to do this often. While he’s had his share of awkward wakeups this one feels different, even with the shyness in Julian’s touch. He likes Julian. He’s sure that Julian likes him, but he doesn’t seem like a first move kind of guy; so instead of thinking, Noel just tangles their naked legs together under the cool sheets. Julian rubbing his leg back against him gives him the encouragement to go on. Noel leans up to softly place a kiss on Julian’s lips then gently presses his forehead against his. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Julian’s nearly awake now, but he blurts it out before he can stop himself. “I don’t even know your last name.” 

Noel giggles as if it’s nothing. “Well, I don’t carry any business cards.” He licks his lips, his pink tongue darting out, and leans in to whisper the answer in Julian’s ear. His lips brush over Julian’s skin like a secret. When he pulls back, his grin has a hint of wickedness in it. Julian can feel it in the press of his mouth against his neck. 

“This where you took that selfie?” Noel’s hands slide along his shoulders, his fingers running down to pool on Julian’s chest, dipping along the freckles there. Julian’s breath catches a little. He manages a shrug and a “yeah.” “You know this was what I had in mind when I asked for a picture, right?” Noel murmurs, his words buzzing against Julian’s chest. “All them freckles.” 

Julian spreads out as Noel climbs to lie in between his legs. He wraps his arms around the boy, letting his hands fall to the dip at the curve of his back as he drags his lips across Julian’s shoulders, peppering whisper soft kisses along his freckles. Julian breathes out a laugh, relaxing into the touch, “I thought I’d leave you with some mystery.” 

Noel laughs at this. “You are a mystery man, but you should never hide these.” He motions, nuzzling at the skin there. He looks up, mischief written all over his face, “Have you ever taken a nudie selfie before?” 

Julian reddens, “I think it’s my turn,” he clears his throat theatrically, “for a question.” 

Noel actually giggles. He’ll get that out of him eventually or maybe he’ll be the first to receive one, he thinks. “What do you wanna know ‘bout me, Julian?” His tongue slips against Julian’s throat, then slides faintly along his jaw, then Julian’s earlobe is between his teeth. “I’m an open book.”

Julian asks the first question that comes to mind. “What’s your favorite color?” Innocent enough, he thinks, before he remembers he’s talking to an art student. Noel pauses, his lips hovering above Julian’s throat. Julian slides his hands down Noel’s sides, squeezing lightly at his hips. He groans, half-pleasure at the feeling, half-pained at having to think to form an answer. 

“Every color’s my favorite.” Julian’s drawing spirals on his hips, drawing his hands in towards the base of Noel’s spine. He moves closer with every shade Noel names. “Ultramarine. Magenta. Marigold.” A little moan slips out as he continues. “Ohhh. Yellow oxide. Scarlet. Sapphire.” 

Julian’s fingertips meet as Noel huffs a breath; Julian can feel him starting to get hard against his thigh. “The real magic’s when you mix them.” A gasp. “Blue gets deeper with red, adding white makes colors more opaque.” He nuzzles his head against Julian’s chest, moving his hips forward ever so slightly. “What’s yours?” he mouths against Julian’s skin.

Listening to Noel speak so passionately sends a wave of affection over Julian as he massages at his back, pulling him even closer. He speaks of color like someone would softly utter something magical, sacred. Nothing to be taken lightly. He knows colors that Julian has never imagined. He looks down to meet the boy’s impossibly blue eyes and says, “Hmm, a shade of blue I think?” Maybe one day he will learn the proper name for the exact shade of Noel’s eyes. Surely a clear ocean blue? That must exist, he thinks as he runs a hand over his stubbled cheek and pulls him up for a kiss. 

Noel’s kisses are firm and steady. “D’you like coffee or tea?” he breathes against Julian’s lips, his hands warm against Julian’s chest, his shoulders, down his arms. “Coffee,” Julian manages before Noel presses their lips together again, humming his agreement into Julian’s mouth. His hands are everywhere, fingers tickling over Julian’s biceps, tracing his jaw, sliding up into his hair. 

“Morning person or night owl?” “Reformed night owl. Forced into being a morning person-” Noel cuts him off with another kiss. “- by the corporate world. You?” Julian’s pressing his fingertips into the curve of Noel’s arse, just holding him there. “Night owl. ‘S when I get my best work done,” Noel answers wickedly, arching his hips a little more insistently into Julian. He can feel how hard he is already. Julian resists the urge to flip them over and grind into him until they’re both whimpering. He blinks. “Uh. Showers or baths?”

“Long bubble baths.” Noel says and both of them moan as he moves his arse back against Julian’s hands, moves his dick to drag it across Julian’s skin with delicious friction. “Let me guess, you’re a shower man.” he answers for Julian as he crawls to finally straddle his lap. The sudden feeling of their skin that much closer with Noel’s dick insistent against his stomach between them has Julian struggling to comprehend words. He answers an “uh hmm,” but it’s lost in Noel’s mouth as they slide their tongues together. They break so that Noel can suck at his neck and Julian tries to reign himself in, skims his fingers over Noel’s shoulders and down his back “Tell me about your favorite artist?” He just manages to groan out as Noel playfully bites at his pulsepoint.

“Jagger,” Noel answers rapidly. “Must’ve watched  _ Performance _ a hundred times,” he pants, his kisses against Julian’s neck getting a little more desperate. Julian’s fully hard and every one of Noel’s breaths against his skin is exquisite. “And Basquiat. He was beautiful… he was everything,” Noel continues, his voice a little hazy but reverent.  _ You’re beautiful _ , Julian thinks, cupping Noel’s arse, guiding him to press closer. 

“What’s… what did you wanna be when you grew up?” Noel manages, his breath visible in his chest. Julian kisses him deeply before answering. “I wanted to play guitar. Be in a band. Make music.” Noel moans against his mouth, swallowing up his next question. Julian lets them both get lost in the sensation of their lips meeting. 

There’s a little hitch to Noel’s voice, his eyelids fluttering a bit when they break for breath. He rubs himself up against Julian, whimpering as his cock slides thick and wet against his stomach. Noel clearly has more to say, another question, but he’s having trouble concentrating. He stops moving his hips, rests his face against Julian’s chest. “Julian,” he pants. “Why’d you want me to stay?” 

Julian doesn’t think about his answer, he just says it. It’s simple and direct. “I wanted to wake up with you,” he responds. It’s the right answer. It’s the truth. 

“Julian?” he gasps, his voice heated. “Julian, d’you wanna be my daddy? Wanna make me feel good, daddy?”

Julian feels heat pool low in his stomach. He is close already and Noel’s words burn against his skin, make his dick jump desperately. He looks between them at Noel’s cock, so hard and wet and impressive for a boy his size. He wants to taste it. For now though he reaches between them and grasps Noel’s dick, loosely stroking it from base to tip and Noel’s entire body reacts. 

He is coiled up like a spring, so eager and ready, panting and mewling. With his voice low and even, still moving his fingers over his dick, Julian nuzzles his face against him and coaxes, “Yes baby, I’ll make you feel good.” He applies a little more force as he strokes, “I’ll be your daddy.” Noel throws his head back, lets out an obscene moan and threads his hands into his own hair, just grasping, arching his back to push his dick insistently into Julian’s palm as he strokes him. Julian kisses at his exposed throat, sucks at his Adam's apple. He swipes his thumb at the beads of pre-cum gathering at Noel’s slit. “Will you be my baby?”

Noel shudders, biting his lip. He hisses out a “yesss,” his thighs tensing. “Fuck, yesss, Julian, daddy. Touch me, daddy,” he whimpers, the words spilling out in a rush. Julian grips him tighter, works his fist faster, his other hand curled around the back of Noel’s neck. He kisses Noel, his mouth hot and desperate when it meets Julian’s. 

Julian can’t help it; he forgets about his aching dick. All he can think about, all he can focus on, is Noel and his shaking body and the heat of his cock in his palm. He’d do anything to prolong the moment. He grins, keeping his fist moving at the same pace, asks, “Where have you always wanted to travel?” 

Noel groans, his hand coming out of his hair to squeeze at Julian’s shoulder. His thrusts are jerky, his hips snapping into Julian’s hand. He buries his face in Julian’s neck, rocking against him. “Always wanted to go to Paris,” he moans, his brow furrowed, trying to hold it together for a few seconds more. 

“Daddy-” His voice breaks as he shudders again; his cock pulses in Julian’s hand. “‘M there,” he breathes, repeating his words as he comes hard against Julian’s stomach and over his hand.

Noel shudders against Julian’s chest, sweat slicked head buried against his neck. Julian feels his mouth tick upward into a smile. He unburies his face to look up at Julian with glazed eyes. “Mmm, I’ve gone into the future.” He slurs, mouthing at Julian’s jaw, laughing. 

Julian can’t help but chuckle, but his dick is still begging for attention and he feels himself inadvertently moving against Noel’s body. Noel’s realization of this has him recovered in record time, kissing at Julian’s ear, “Wanna take good care of you daddy.” 

Before Julian can process what that could mean Noel is dropping down his body, pressing quick little kisses all along his chest and down his stomach, licking over his own release smeared there. He slides between Julian’s legs and looks up at him; big blue eyes almost innocent as he takes him in hand. 

“What’s the last thing you daydreamed about?” He asks, breathy and hot against his dick. Then, without breaking eye contact he’s wrapping his lips, so pink and so full, around the head of his cock and sliding it into his mouth, nearly to the base. 

Julian has to close his eyes and count to keep himself from coming immediately. He grips the sheets around him with one hand and places the other on Noel’s head, bobbing along with him as he sucks and licks along his length. Between the feeling of his tongue and mouth and the slick wet sounds he’s making Julian can hardly formulate thought. He summons as much breath as he can muster before he heaves out a soft “you” almost sheepishly, because he really is just about all he’s thought about since they met. 

Noel hums his approval around him, and then again with delicious pressure, slides his dick as far down as he can take him. Julian feels tingles at the base of his spine as his release builds. 

“Noel…” And then Noel is sucking at the head of his dick, swirling his tongue along his slit and Julian is coming, gripping onto Noel’s hair as he tries to keep his hips still, jolts of pleasure shooting through his body.

Julian feels rather than sees Noel flop down bodily onto his chest. The joints of his hand are starting to ache where he’s still gripping the sheets. He unclamps his fingers and lets his body go loose, trying to regulate his breathing. He can’t remember the last time he felt this relaxed, the last time he felt this happy. 

Julian opens his eyes and blinks a few times, trying to refocus his fuzzy vision. Noel’s petite body feels like a warm, comforting weight resting on his chest. He’s sleepily rubbing his cheek against Julian’s chest, the soft scrape of his stubble soothing, strands of hair sticking up at wild angles at the back of his head. Julian reaches down and kisses the top of his head. Noel hums into his chest, pressing a loose kiss back as he squeezes his heavy limbs tighter around Julian. 

Sure enough, he’s brought Julian into the future.  _ He is the future _ , Julian thinks.  _ My future. _

*

Julian’s belly is warm against his naked back when Noel wakes. The heaviness of Julian’s arm thrown over his waist is comforting and sure.

Noel wants to turn and look at him, but doesn’t want to wake him. Instead, he lies for a few minutes just listening to the rhythmic sound of his little inhales and exhales of breath. He’s sleeping pretty sound. A smile slides onto his face thinking about last night and this morning. The absolute thrill of being with someone, just feeling it all slide into place, hitting it off like you’ve known them for years; he hasn’t felt like that in so long. He hasn’t woken up feeling like this maybe ever. 

Despite being so warm and comfortable, Noel feels a little restless, groggy but too awake to fall back asleep. His body feels pleasantly wrung out from their... activities. Needing a good stretch and maybe some coffee he wriggles as quietly and smoothly as he can out from Julian’s arm to slide out of bed. 

He pads to the kitchen and plugs Julian’s coffee maker in, setting it to brew and hunting in the cabinets for a couple of mugs. He thinks about making some toast but doesn’t know how Julian feels about eating in bed. He figures coffee is okay, though, and puts extra sugar and cream in his. He leaves Julian’s nearly black with just a splash of cream.

He bumps the bedroom door open gently with his hip. Julian’s awake and reclining against the headboard, pillows propped up behind him. Noel sets both mugs down on the bedside table and clambers up to lie between Julian’s legs, resting his head against Julian’s chest. 

The little sound of approval Julian makes when he takes a sip vibrates against the back of Noel’s neck. “Not bad. I hope you got dressed before you went out for this.” 

Noel squeaks around his mouthful of coffee. “I made it in your kitchen!”

Julian raises a brow; Noel’s favorite Julian expression he’s already decided. After another gulp says, “You’re joking. This is MY coffee?” 

Noel laughs, hands cradling his mug, “‘’Course, who else’s would it be?” 

Julian makes a face of disbelief. “Just. Mine never tastes this good when I make it.” He sips and hums another noise of approval as he rests his free hand on Noel’s flat tummy. “I might just keep you around if you can make my shit coffee this good.”

Noel scoots so that he’s tucked in even closer to Julian’s chest, relaxes into it. “Yeah well, I’ve got other skills that make it worth keeping me around.” Julian can’t see it, but he knows the wicked grin Noel has on his face, can hear it in his words. “I don’t mind doing the hoovering either.” 

Noel feels Julian’s chest shaking underneath him. “I’m well tidy!” he says indignantly. “And organized!” he adds when Julian’s giggles don’t stop. Julian’s hand moves up to his ribs, long fingers ticklish, resting where he’d wiped all the pastels on his t-shirt in his set of selfies. “Well tidy?” he asks. “That right?” Noel can hear the raised brow in his voice. He can hear the affection too. “Well, alright,” he responds. “But come on, you’ve gotta get messy in the moment.” He knows the statement is loaded. “I clean up real nice, though, Julian,” he breathes.

Julian laughs, “Hmmm, maybe we should see about that then.” He says dragging his hand across Noel’s tummy, up his chest. “I think we both need a shower, yeah?” 

Noel hums with approval and hops up to place his mug on the nightstand. He considers Julian for a moment; still looking half sleepy, his hair mussed, all freckles and wolfish grin. Noel feels impossibly fond for him already. “Um, you’re coming with me, right?” he asks as he takes him by the hand.

*

Noel towels his hair off and crawls back into Julian’s soft sheets as he roots around in his dresser. He comes out with a clean t-shirt and pants, and laughs when he sees Noel’s hair sticking up out from under the blankets. He pulls the sheet down off of his face and grins. “All my clothes are in the other room.” 

Julian shrugs. It’s been far too long since he had a naked Sunday lie-in. He leaves his clothes on top of his dresser, sliding back into bed and pulling Noel to rest on his chest again. He wraps his arms tight around him and slings one leg over both of Noel’s. Noel leans back to nuzzle his face against Julian’s neck. 

Noel is content to cuddle like this all day and he’s grateful that Julian doesn’t want to leave their bubble just yet. He drags his lips across Julian’s neck, “Julian?” 

Julian leans into him, enjoying the feeling of his lips on his skin. He pushes some loose wet strands of hair away from Noel’s forehead so he can look down at him, “Yes?”

Noel smirks, tone all teasing and sly, “Am I the first boy you’ve had?” He looks up at him, all big eyes, questioning. Maybe he knows the answer before he asks it, but he’s curious how Julian will answer. Julian’s touches are too natural and sure, so confident in pleasuring Noel. He feels a bit hesitant after he’s asked though, adding shyly, “It’s just, you’re really good.” 

Julian takes a minute to answer. He shrugs and shakes his head no. “You’re not the first. I had a boyfriend when I was at school. When I was your age. We didn’t stay together very long but I, uh. I learned some things.” His hands start moving through Noel’s hair again. His voice is soft when he speaks, an internal thought slipping out. “I’ve never had a boy like you, though, baby.” 

Noel leans into his touch. He’s quiet for a bit, taking it in, relaxing into Julian’s touches. He knows he’s never had anyone like Julian before. Already, he knows he never wants anyone else. 

“What else you hidin’?” he breathes. 

Julian grins, fingernails scratching gently at his scalp. “You’ll find out eventually.” 

Noel nods. “I’m your boy now. I’ll find it all out eventually.”

Julian lets out a breath of a laugh and Noel stretches to place a soft gentle kiss on his lips. “I’m all yours to discover, baby.” he murmurs against Noel’s lips before pulling him around into his lap. 

The rest of the day is spent not far from Julian’s bed, lost in a haze of cuddling and touches and laughs. 

*

Julian’s phone buzzes on his desk. He saves his spreadsheet and jots down a reminder for his last client meeting of the week before picking it up. 

“cant wait to see u tonight x”

Julian smiles. “The feeling is mutual. Pick you up in an hour. Text if I’ll be late.”

It’s almost the start of their first full weekend together. Since meeting at the zoo a month ago, Julian’s taken Noel out on several dates, for meals and to the cinema. Noel’s slept over at the flat enough times after Julian’s made them dinner that he has a toothbrush stashed in the bathroom cabinet. 

When Julian sees his client step into the outer office, he dials Dave’s number. “Dave? You can send them in and go early if you want, start your weekend now.” 

He’s certainly looking forward to starting his.

*

It’s late when they get back to Julian’s flat. Their meal had gone longer than planned, and Julian had to drive Noel back to the flat he shared with some mates to pick up a couple of forgotten textbooks he needed for assignments. He’d sheepishly brandished them as he slid back into the passenger seat, tossing them in the footwell. 

“Ah, ancient history. If I’d have known you needed that one, could have saved us the trip. Have it in a place of pride on my bookshelf at home.” Julian’s eyes are on the road as he pulls away, but there’s a grin on his face as he speaks. Noel giggles and tunes the radio. 

He falls asleep on the drive back, waking as Julian’s scooping him up in one arm and grabbing his school bag and textbooks in the other. He clings to Julian’s body, listening to him toss his keys and Noel’s books down in the hall. 

“You awake?” Julian asks. “Uh uh,” Noel responds, squeezing his arms tighter around Julian’s neck.

Julian whispers, “Straight to bed with you then, yeah?” Noel nods against his neck. He still has his eyes closed, long thick lashes against his cheeks. Julian admires him as he softly lies him on the bed. Julian has spent enough time with him already to know that once Noel is ready for sleep there’s really no coaxing him out of it. He can’t let him sleep in his boots and tight jeans though.

He bends to give him a kiss on the forehead. “Hey just gonna get you out of these.” He gestures to Noel’s legs, for himself more than for Noel, since he’s already nearly comatose. Gently, he removes Noel’s silver boots, unzipping and slipping them off to reveal mismatched socks. After he’s removed his jeans he tucks the duvet around him fondly. 

Julian pulls the blinds shut and undresses, slipping into bed next to Noel. Carefully, he curls up next to him, sliding his body against the heat radiating off of Noel’s small frame. He’s asleep, both of them lying on the same pillow, before he knows it.

*

Julian wakes to birdsong and soft light filtering through the gaps in the blinds. He feels Noel wiggling already, stretching and pulling away gently to get out of bed. He’s become the designated coffee maker if they sleep in and he takes the job seriously. 

This morning though, Julian wants him to stay a little longer. Just as Noel has slipped out of the covers Julian reaches out to stop him. He tenderly pushes the back of his shirt up and moves his fingers over the knots of his spine, then back down to ghost over the peachy curve of his ass clad in only tiny blue pants. Noel smiles and looks back over his shoulder. Julian gives him a lascivious grin. “Come back here, baby.” He growls, wrapping his arms around him to pull him back into the bed. 

“Alright, alright,” Noel squeaks, squirming when Julian climbs on top of him. He goes very still, the only movement his chest rising and falling, and his eyes looking over Julian’s features. His hand curls around the side of Julian’s face. 

“Julian,” he breathes, his lips wet and parted. He feels so safe covered by Julian’s broad body, so protected, he doesn’t feel silly making his next request. “Ju, kiss me.”

Julian leans down. His kiss is light, gentle, a whisper of a kiss. Noel chases his lips as he pulls away and moves to Noel’s neck. He slides a hand down Noel’s arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. 

“Julian?” Noel’s cock is stirring in his pants with every caress. “Mmm,” Julian responds against his chest, placing more whisper-soft kisses over his collarbones. “Julian, what-?” 

“Making up for lost time,” he says, his voice low. “Wanted to do this last night. Wanted to do this every night. Kiss you everywhere, every inch.” Noel shivers, feeling blood rush to his cock. He bites his lip, his skin feeling warmed every place that Julian’s lips touch. 

Noel clings to Julian, runs his hands through his hair and along his shoulders as Julian works further down his body. Julian’s hands fall around Noel’s ribs as he kisses at his the soft skin of his tummy. He’s so tiny under Julian’s hands, his little body heaving and squirming with each touch. Julian cannot get enough of him. Cannot stop thinking about doing just this when he’s not around. 

He runs his tongue along a defined hip bone and Noel hisses, arching his back into him. Julian continues down to the waistband of his pants, moves his mouth along the length of it, letting his tongue just slip underneath as he goes. He looks up at Noel as he lifts it. When he blows against his skin he feels the boy shiver. 

Julian runs his hands over Noel’s thighs. His muscles are tense with anticipation. Julian wants him to relax, to lie back and let himself be worshiped. Noel’s cock is already straining against his little pants. Julian presses gentle but quick kisses to Noel’s thighs, then lays his head down, Noel’s soft skin smooth under his lightly stubbled cheek. 

He traces the outline of Noel’s cock with a finger and all of Noel’s breath comes out in a rush, half sigh, half ”ohhhh.” His body relaxes immediately; Julian can feel the tenseness melt out of his thighs under his cheek. He lightly rubs his finger over Noel, back and forth, feeling the heat of his skin through his pants. Noel’s eyes are soft when he sits up to slide them down his thighs.

Julian watches as Noel’s cock pops up against his belly and again marvels at the size of it compared to his small frame. “You’re a talented boy.” Julian had murmured to him while fooling around one night and Noel had just laughed and blushed like a schoolgirl. His modesty had surprised Julian. He doesn’t seem very modest about it when he’s driving Julian crazy parading around in his little pants or his impossibly tight jeans. 

Julian doesn’t waste time now that it’s begging for attention. He leans up to lick the silky underside from base to tip, a ghost of a touch but it’s enough to have Noel grab at the sheets around him and moan Julian’s name. “Julian, please. Daddy, suck me.” Julian grins at his eagerness and takes him in his mouth, swirling his tongue as he takes each inch little by little then pulls off, sucking and working a hand around the base. 

Noel is making happy little whimpers above him as he works, little licks and twists of his wrist wringing out whines. Julian’s teasing the head of his cock between his lips, sucking and pointing his tongue to lap at his slit when Noel moans his name. His hand tugs at Julian’s hair. “Julian, please,” he whimpers. His voice is desperate. He kisses the tip of Noel’s cock and stops the movement of his hand, lifting himself over Noel’s body. 

Julian thinks he’s begging for the deep, crushing kiss he didn’t get earlier, but Noel reaches for his hand, gripping his wrist and guiding Julian’s hand to his mouth. He sucks his first two fingers in, his tongue slipping between them. Julian’s cock jumps at the sensation. 

When Julian’s fingers are wet past his second knuckle, he lets Julian’s hand fall out of his mouth. Noel drags his other hand down to Julian’s cock, still in his pants. “Daddy, I wanna feel you. Wanna feel you inside me.” He moves Julian’s hand down past his cock and spreads his legs. “Please, need to feel you in me,” he breathes, stretching up to suck Julian’s tongue into his mouth.

Julian has to take a deep breath, focus just on the feeling of Noel’s mouth on his. They have not gone that far yet by sheer forced restraint, mostly by Julian, who wanted to wait for the perfect romantic time. Seeing Noel now, his blue eyes wide with lust and adoration, nearly shaking with want; Julian has never wanted anything more than to be inside of him right now. He can’t think of any reason to wait anymore. When Noel whines out “Mmm, waited so long daddy, don’t wanna wait any longer.” Julian nods, lips still touching. He doesn’t want to break from him, but has to move to get the lube from the bathroom cabinet. 

He didn’t want to leave it on his bedside table or even in the drawer, didn’t want to do anything presumptuous or anything that would make Noel feel pressured. He’s kicking himself now, having to separate from him for even a minute, but Noel’s lying in the same position when he gets back, his eyes still full of want. Julian tosses the tube down next to him and leaves his pants on the bedroom floor, draping his body over Noel’s. He rubs his fingers over Noel’s jaw. “Are you sure? You’re ready?” 

“Julian, please, I want you.” Noel grabs his hand and kisses him deeply. “I want this. I want us,” he breathes against Julian’s lips. “Please.”

Julian kisses him, his tongue sliding against Noel’s, before guiding him to lie back down. He brushes Noel’s hair away from his forehead, steadying them both. He has to lean back down to drop a kiss to Noel’s forehead before moving down his little body. He avoids touching Noel’s cock, already wet and leaking. He wants their first time to last, wants to sink into him and prolong their pleasure. He reaches for the lube, slicking his fingers, before helping Noel into position. He lets out a sigh at the first touch of Julian’s wet fingertip to his hole. 

Julian kisses him deep, moving their tongues together as he finally pushes into him, slowly moving his finger to open him. Noel breaks their kiss to let out a quiet “Oh” as Julian moves his finger deeper, pulls it out and repeats a little faster. He moves his arse with him in slow circles as Julian works the muscles. 

Lips parted and eyes closed, he tightens his grip on Julian’s bicep and whispers “More.” Julian kisses along his face, the strong line of his jaw, sucking on his neck as he adds another finger, moving and scissoring him open. He just wants him as ready and open as he can be so that he can enjoy this as much as possible. Julian has to try to quell his own urgency at the feeling of his heat and tightness around his fingers.

Noel’s breaths are coming short as Julian opens him. He’s nearly ready, accepting Julian’s fingers so beautifully. Julian kisses him lightly on the lips, trying to get his attention. “Noel, baby,” he says, voice low. Noel moans an “mmm,” focusing on Julian’s eyes. “Are you ready?” 

Noel nods, tightening his grip on Julian’s arm. “You still want to do this?” Noel nods again, licking his lips. His eyes haven’t left Julian’s. 

Julian nods back. He curls his fingers, rubbing slowly, deliberately over Noel’s prostate. His mouth falls open as he cries Julian’s name. “Daddy,” he moans, “daddy, in me.”

Julian moves between his legs, slicking himself before lining up. He feels a rush of pleasure when the head of his cock meets Noel’s slick, open hole. He rubs his head against him, savoring the feeling, the anticipation, trying to hold himself back for a second, then a second longer. Noel is so beautiful laid out below him, his skin glowing in the early morning light, eyes luminous and huge, but he can’t wait any longer. He moans and moves forward, biting his lip as the head of Julian’s cock slides into him.

Julian groans at the feeling of Noel’s body taking him in. He’s in sooner than he was anticipating and the heat of him and the tightness nearly takes his breath away. Both of them moan as Noel pushes his body a little more, helping Julian slide in just a little further. Noel is clutching at the bed sheets, clutching at Julian’s arms, then curling his nails into his back. “C’mon, daddy, you won’t break me. Wanna feel all of you.” With that Julian can’t hold back any longer and pushes in until he’s fully engulfed with a loud groan.

Julian leans down, careful not to move suddenly. He presses little kisses to Noel’s lips. His eyes are squeezed shut; he’s panting against Julian’s mouth. Julian balances on one elbow, his other hand coming up to cup Noel’s face. He runs his thumb over the ridge of Noel’s cheekbone. “Okay?” he breathes. 

Noel’s eyes flutter open. He nods, his hair tangled against the pillow, the flush spreading over his cheeks making his skin glow. He reaches to cup Julian’s face in his own tiny hand, his thumb straying to Julian’s lips. Noel makes the tiniest movement with his hips and Julian responds, leaning back up to pull halfway out and thrust back in. Noel closes his eyes again, his entire body loose and pliant. “Yessss, Julian, please,” he breathes. As Julian builds a rhythm, there’s no hesitation on how they move with each other. 

Julian is overwhelmed with the feeling of it as he moves at a steady rhythm. Noel’s little whimpers and the way he is meeting his thrusts and squeezing around him, is sending waves of pleasure through his body unlike anything Julian has felt. He wants to make Noel feel just as amazing, asking him “Is it alright baby?” Noel nods or moans or pulls him closer and Julian continues, building with deeper thrusts. 

They move with each other, mouths just touching, wanting to be as close as possible but too lost in pleasure to kiss proper. Noel is panting, chanting Julian’s name as he alternates deep long thrusts, just grazing Noel’s prostate before pulling back for short quick thrusts. 

He grips Julian’s back right in the middle of a burst of deep, lingering thrusts, pulling him closer, kissing him. “Ju,” he pants when he pulls away. “Ju, let me- let me on top.” Julian can tell he’s close, his body tensing and tightening. He moves to pull out, to let them reposition, but Noel grabs at his shoulders. “In me, stay in me,” he whimpers, fingers clamped tightly into the muscle of Julian’s neck. 

Julian brings his hand to Noel’s face and runs it soothingly down the side. Noel leans into his touch, breathing out a sigh of relief as Julian sinks back into him completely. He winds his legs tighter around Julian’s back as Julian scoops him up, kissing his face and his neck as he rises. Julian leans back, taking the both of them down slowly, until his head is resting at the foot of his bed. Noel’s body is trembling and gleaming in the morning light, the length of his torso shivering. 

“Does that feel okay?” Julian asks, running a hand down from his chest to his stomach, hovering above his leaking cock. Noel moans, biting his lip. He makes the smallest movement with his hips, his body shaking. He’s close, so close.

Julian watches as he starts to move, lifting himself shakily almost completely off Julian’s cock before lowering back down with a long groan. He closes his eyes and smiles blissfully, “Mm daddy, you feel so good inside me.” 

Julian lets his hands wander all over the boy’s small body as he builds a rhythm riding him. Fingers lingering over his hip bones and running them down to grip his thick thighs, then running them back up to trace his nipples. Noel moans, one hand bracing himself and the other tangled in his own hair, gripping like he needs it to keep himself from coming undone. Julian hums low in his chest as Noel speeds, his cock bouncing between them as he leans forward to suck Julian’s tongue into his mouth. “‘M so close.” he breathes out, his voice strained with pleasure. 

Julian grips at his arse, feeling him shaking as he works around his cock and senses his own release building low in his stomach. He’s never been this turned on, never felt as good as being buried in Noel’s beautiful body. As he wraps his hand around Noel’s leaking cock he pulls him down again for another kiss and murmurs into his lips, “Come for daddy, baby.” Another stroke and Noel shouts Julian’s name into the quiet room, his come streaking Julian’s stomach between them, clenching around him. 

Julian groans, the feeling of Noel tight around him, still bucking his hips and grinding down onto Julian overwhelming. He flips them on the mattress, draping his body back over Noel’s. His legs lock around Julian’s waist as Julian plants his palms on the mattress, either side of Noel’s head. He thrusts quickly, his hips stuttering as he comes, his mouth open. He rides it out until he’s moving weakly, the last lingering pulses of heat moving through his veins. Noel’s eyes haven’t left his the entire time.

His hands wind into Julian’s hair. “Daddy,” he breathes, kissing Julian’s lips softly. His own whisper of a kiss from earlier, reflected back at him. 

“Baby,” Julian returns. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Listen. Yes, we did have “ultramarine (blue), magenta (pink), and marigold (orange)” in that order long before the TalkArt podcast came out, where Noel named his favorite colors for life and painting, in that exact order. It just happened, we don’t know how, we’re not going to question it.  
> 2\. Listen. Yes, we forgot to take Julian’s pants off when we were writing their first time and had to go back after writing an entire page to fix it. But it’s the editing and the capslocked messages that say OMG DID WE FORGET TO TAKE JULIAN’S PANTS OFF that count.  
> 3\. Listen. Yes, we both hate writing prep. Nuff said.  
> 4\. Listen. It’s not all weird universe peeking in on us coincidences and forgetting how the mechanics of clothing removal work. Sometimes, it’s throwing an idea out there and having it flow so seamlessly between two people sharing a brain, so much so that we lose track of time and realize we’ve written for six hours in one go.   
> 5\. Listen. Expect (a lot) more, soon. Ish.


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the weeks pass, Noel and Julian's relationship deepens.

Julian likes waking up early and having time to methodically dress and enjoy a cup of coffee before he goes to work. He moves around the flat more quietly now though because of the small body nestled in his bed. 

Noel is only visible as a lump of blankets this morning, curled up and covered to his nose with a shock of black hair sticking out against the white duvet. He once told Julian he was “not of the corporate world,” which meant “I don’t wake up willingly before 9 AM.” 

Noel readies himself for the day over a period of hours, taking dance breaks in between bubble baths and blow drying his hair. Sometimes he has to stop midway through getting dressed to draw something he’s just dreamed up. As long as he’s ready for his afternoon classes he is alright. 

Julian’s carefully constructed habits were all but thrown out the window in those first few weeks together. Inevitably he would snooze his alarm too many times and then shower hastily, no time for coffee. Dressed, he’d lean over the bed to kiss Noel goodbye only to have deft hands tangle into his shirt and pull him back into the bed. He would laugh as they kissed, Noel’s fingers messing his just combed hair, trying to work the button of his trousers free. 

Julian would lose himself momentarily in Noel’s mouth and the warmth of his body before he would reluctantly untangle himself free to get out of bed and the door. He would skid into his office with seconds to spare, out of breath and looking rumpled with his assistant throwing him worried glances.

As waking up together became a normal occurrence Noel began to prefer sleeping in over trying to persuade Julian into a weekday morning romp. Although most of the time Julian knows Noel is really lying there half awake quietly watching as he gets ready. 

Julian is standing in front of the bedroom mirror buttoning his shirt when Noel shifts and slides out of bed to pad to the bathroom. When he reappears he lets out a loud yawn and runs his hands through his bed head. 

Julian throws his tie around his neck and begins tying it. “You’re up early this morning.” He watches in the mirror as Noel shrugs and perches himself crossed legged on the bed.

Noel nods toward the tie Julian is shaping around his neck, “So did you take a workshop to learn to do that?” he says, voice still gravelly with sleep.

Julian replies, “Yeah, it was ‘Intro to Corporate Hell’ class, actually.” 

Noel’s eyes light up with laughter. He deadpans, “Ah, decided against that one. Took ‘Intermediate Eyeliner’ instead.” 

Julian chuckles at their mutual understanding. Julian has no problem admitting he chose the boring, more secure route. Noel just giggles and rolls his eyes when Julian calls him out on his free spirited existence.

“Sort of like a type of origami though, isn’t it?” Noel contemplates. 

Julian raises a brow at him and begins to undo the material he’s already done. “C’mere and I’ll show you.” 

Noel’s face is attentive as Julian shows him patiently step by step, twisting and wrapping the silky material into a half windsor knot. He undoes it again and gestures for Noel to do it. 

Noel takes the tie and begins slowly. Julian studies his face as he tries to recall the movements and steps, his black chipped fingernails working the fabric over and under, around. 

Julian quite likes the quiet contemplative face that Noel wears when he’s lost in a task or a challenge. He wears it most often when he’s painting or drawing, blue eyes serious and pinpointed, lips just parted. His full bottom lip juts out just a bit and Julian can’t resist the urge to lean down to try and nibble at it, interrupting Noel’s focus. 

“Hey, you’ve buggered it up now!” Noel squawks as he moves to avoid Julian’s mouth.

Julian laughs, still trying to get to the younger man’s lips. Noel playfully pushes him away, but eventually gives in for a chaste kiss. The tie is nearly right, but the length comes up a bit short and the knot a bit wonky. Noel looks a little annoyed as Julian undoes it to expertly wrap it back into a perfect knot. 

Julian laughs, “I’ve had years of practice. Don’t be moody.” 

Noel rolls his eyes and breathes out a laugh, but Julian knows it bothers him when he can’t land something immediately.

Days later Julian is just getting ready to throw his tie on when Noel slips out of bed and stands in front of him. He takes the material from his hands and tenderly wraps it around Julian’s neck. 

“Let me.” he says as he begins to form the material into a tie with adept hands. 

Julian looks at him in astonishment as he slides the impeccable knot up to Julian’s neck and adjusts the hanging flaps. He assesses his work and smooths Julian’s collar down, looks up at him through his eyelashes almost shyly and says, “I’ve been practicing.” 

Julian winds his hand into his messy hair and pulls him in for a kiss. “You surprise me all the time.” 

Noel grins against his lips, so pleased with himself. 

Noel gets out of bed just about every morning after, wraps Julian’s tie around him and knots it, tugging him down with it to steal a kiss before sending him out the door. Sometimes they get carried away and Julian is late yet again. Julian enjoys this new morning routine immensely. 

*

Noel arrives back to the flat tired and feeling a bit moody. He has spent the majority of his free time in between class in one of the campus galleries readying the space for his first solo showing, sorting various framed drawings and canvases into yes and maybe and no way piles, and mapping out the proper placement and design of his displays. 

He wants this show to be a success not just for the grade, but to show how hard he’s worked these last few terms. To show that he can be disciplined and focused when it matters. It’s quite personal, some of the things he’s finished lately and for the first time he feels a bit shy to display some of it. He hopes his thoughts translate well into his art and that they strike a chord with the people who visit. Secretly, most of all he hopes Julian likes his work.

Noel has the flat to himself tonight with Julian being a few hours away at a business meeting. He had initially been stroppy about being left behind. Typically he might’ve bunked off a couple classes to go, even if it meant entertaining himself while Julian worked. At least they’d be together after Julian finished for the day. 

The timing wasn’t ideal though, with the end of term looming and the art show just days away. The decision was made for him when his professor had asked to meet with him tonight to discuss his plans for the show. He had pouted around for a while until Julian pulled him into an embrace. 

“I will miss you too, but promise you won’t miss anything exciting.” He had explained, placing a sweet kiss on Noel’s forehead. “Just meetings then after work dinner with more business talk. Horribly boring.” Then he had nuzzled and kissed Noel until he couldn’t be bothered to worry about it any more. 

Although admittedly he is the one usually making most of the noise, the flat is impossibly quiet and lonely without Julian. His absence is even more noticeable after a long day that’s left Noel feeling tense and ready for a cuddle. 

They have rarely spent a day without seeing each other since they first met at the zoo. Pretty quickly Noel was staying over more at Julian’s flat than his own, nonchalantly leaving items at Julian’s place. A toothbrush on the bathroom counter, a bag with some extra clothes and a few sketch pads and odds and ends. 

One day Julian had casually mentioned having some storage space free in the guest room. Noel had since been slowly filling it up with his own things. Julian had smiled when he first discovered the colorful vintage shirts and petite worn jeans folded neatly and hung in the closet as if they were always meant to be there. It’s maybe an unspoken agreement that Noel won’t be renewing his lease on the small space he shares with a couple classmates when the time is up.

In preparation of his meeting this evening Noel had thrown on one of Julian’s ties over a white button up with his black polka dotted drain pipes. He felt a little chuffed putting on the same tie he had first learned to knot around Julian. He loosens it to unbutton the shirt and pushes it off along with his tight jeans. Just as he’s about to yank off the tie his mobile dings and his heart flutters. 

_“One more round and then I'm turning in. Give you a call then?”_

Noel types out a quick response, _“can’t wait. x”_

While his heart grows he also knows that one more round is at least half an hour, which makes him wither and feel mopey again for having been left behind. He stands in just his pants, the tie still hanging limply down his chest as he fingers his phone idly. He could do a number of things; read some material for class or complete an assignment, take a shower, clean a bit. Instead he flops into bed to wallow in his mood. 

Another ding and he reads Julian’s new message. _“Missing you.”_

He considers himself for a moment and plays with the black polka dotted tie standing out against the pale skin of his chest. He thinks of how he wraps it around Julian’s neck and gives him a deep kiss every morning. Thinks of pulling him into the bedroom with it as soon as he’s in the door after he’s home from work, the two of them working away the drudgery of the day tangled up in each other. Noel’s cock stirs a bit with that thought, uncaring of his otherwise sour mood. 

He teases the tie along his skin, letting it drag across his chest and over the taunt smooth skin of his stomach down the trail of hair leading into his pants. Almost subconsciously he reaches into them and gives himself a few strokes to hardness. He pulls himself out as he runs a hand up to play with a nipple, letting out a little exhale as he relaxes into the sensation of the strokes of his hand. 

The tie is large for his tiny frame and stretches the length of his torso, falling just above his cock lying against his belly. Idea planted, he grabs his phone and starts a video perfectly angled to capture the strong line of his jaw. He looks at the camera with soft blue eyes hazy with arousal and lets his finger linger on his full bottom lip as he pans down over the line of his throat and slowly along the line of the tie to just the tip of his pink cock. He hovers there for a beat. 

He sends the video with a _“just waiting here for you. x”_

Noel imagines Julian stepping away from his business associates to watch the video when it comes through, throwing back the rest of his whiskey and clearing his throat. Noel grins and continues working himself, moving his foreskin back to tease at the sensitive head of his cock.

A ding and Noel uses his unoccupied hand to read the reply, _“Beautiful.”_

This short but sweet reply leaves Noel a bit annoyed even in the throes of his task. _Not even worth an “I’m on my way immediately”_?

Eventually the task at hand takes over his thoughts. He finishes thinking of Julian arriving in the nick of time, wrapping his lips around him until he comes with a quiet gasp. After he’s cleaned himself up and plopped back into bed he’s unable to keep himself from drifting off before Julian calls. 

*

Julian yawns as he stares out of the window of the train. He thinks of his assistant Dave's reaction when he calls in the morning to explain his last minute decision to not stay in the posh hotel he had nicely arranged for him. Instead, after finishing his drinks he had promptly checked out and called for a cab to the station. Dave will no doubt be wound up at another off the cuff decision from his once rigid workaholic boss. 

His now ex wife had once told him she hoped that one day he would find something that fulfilled him as much as his job. It had stung then. He understood it now.

After having considered an early trip home all evening Noel’s video had made up his mind for him. Looking out the window now, Julian thinks maybe he’ll never be that old guy completely anymore. 

Hours later he crawls into their bed and Noel instinctively molds himself against his chest before he’s even given an explanation. He whispers out a sleepy “Ju Ju….” tucks his head contentedly into Julian’s neck, throws his arm around him and almost instantly he’s back to sleep. 

Julian rubs circles into the younger man’s back and runs his fingers through his hair. With the comfort of Noel’s body against his he falls asleep almost immediately.

Julian awakes as the soft light of dawn begins to filter through the blinds. Noel is still curled and tucked against him, having barely moved through the night. His leg rubs against Noel’s bare thigh as he shifts to stretch and move himself flush with the smaller man. 

Julian runs his hands along the back of Noel’s tiny pink t-shirt and over the curve of his arse barely clad in tiny blue pants, willing him to slowly wake. Noel starts to respond as Julian’s fingers drag up to his neck and into his soft messy hair. Eyes still closed, Noel’s mouth ticks upward just a bit at the corners and then Julian is leaning to cover his lips with his own. They kiss slowly as Julian continues to run his hands over Noel’s sleep warmed body.

Julian feels Noel grinning against his lips as he reaches for the hem of his shirt. They break long enough to tug it over his head and then Noel is tangling his fingers in Julian’s hair for a deeper kiss, sliding their tongues together, already squirming for contact. 

Noel is pliant under his fingers as Julian runs his hands all along the impossibly soft skin of his torso. Julian feels goosebumps spring up as he caresses along his ribs up to run his fingers over his nipples. Noel lets out a soft breath and Julian can feel his cock start to harden in his pants against him. 

Julian murmurs, “Nice and slow, yeah?” and Noel hums his agreement into his neck before he reaches down to slide his own pants off. 

Noel softly runs his hands along Julian’s freckled shoulders while he’s peppered with kisses along his neck, down his chest and stomach. He doesn’t hesitate when Julian urges him onto his belly, flipping to lie with his head propped on his arms. He sighs as Julian drapes himself over him and moves his hair aside to kiss at the back of his neck. 

Julian dips open-mouthed kisses along his shoulders, just worshipping the warm pale skin there. He works slowly down along the line of his spine with his tongue and his lips until he reaches the curve of the small of his back.

Julian nuzzles his face against his back, “You are so beautiful, baby.” he says, moving down and letting his hands slide until they reach the globes of Noel’s pert arse. He kneads the flesh there as he traces the curve of one buttock with his tongue, sucking the skin into his mouth and then playfully giving him a little bite. Noel lets out a noise between a laugh and a purr against his arm.

Noel buries his face into the pillow and braces himself on his elbows as Julian pulls him up onto his knees. He lets out a long groan as Julian spreads him and licks a slow line along the cleft of his arse. He shifts, trying to spread his legs wider as Julian points his tongue to flick at his puckered hole.

“Ooooh daddy. Mmm Ju Ju.” Noel moans out, melting into the pillow as Julian flicks and then works his tongue inside. Noel’s soft moans filling his ears send little waves of heat through his body that make him go breathless as he massages and laps at the tight muscles there. Noel is still braced on his arms, back curved deliciously. His leaking cock hangs in desperate need of attention. 

Julian can feel Noel’s body relaxing around him though. He thrusts his tongue in and out, his hold still firm on his arse but he can feel him involuntarily moving his hips in rhythm with the movement of his mouth. He pushes a finger in, swirling his tongue around his own digit as he works it in and out.

Noel is mewling Julian’s name into the pillow, squirming around him, trying to behave. The younger man is not typically this passive, although he’s been trying his hardest to take things slower during their lovemaking. His attempts at restraint makes Julian feel incredibly fond, but also sends blood rushing to his cock. Julian is patient and slow but Noel’s want and desire being so strong he can’t hold back just fills him with a need to sink into him and feel him as soon as he can, even when he’s trying to hold back. 

Julian gives himself just a couple slow strokes while he spreads Noel wide again and moves his tongue in deeper, adding another finger with it to just graze his prostate. Noel whimpers, arches and pushes back against him and Julian moans, enjoying Noel’s reaction and the feeling of his hand on his own cock. The vibrations make Noel’s legs shake.

Looking back to meet the other man’s eyes, he whines, “Daddy, please. I want you to hold me.” 

Julian can’t hold back any longer. 

They rearrange with Noel on his back and he watches with lust blown eyes as Julian slicks some lube on himself and Noel’s hole. Noel's eyes are soft as he pulls Julian against him for a deep kiss and keens, “Mmm, ready for you now.” 

Julian moves his tongue against Noel’s as he lines his cock up. He wraps his arms around the small of Noel’s back to bring them as close as possible as he slides in. They groan in unison once he is fully inside, both of them just lost in the feeling of being joined like this. 

Noel kisses his face and his throat as Julian moves so gently with a slow and steady pace; no teasing, no showing off, just pure feeling between them. Both men are still pressing into each other with an intense need to just be so close as Julian moves inside the younger man. 

“I missed you so much.” Noel whispers.

Julian leans his face against Noel’s and soothes, “I know. I’m here now.” as he moves, slowly increasing his pace.

Noel is completely amiable beneath him, just yielding, clinging and rocking against Julian as he thrusts. He is whispering things into Julian’s skin, most unintelligible beyond his name and _god don’t stop, don’t ever stop._ He is so sensitive and eager he’s usually come already by now, but he seems intent on letting Julian move him slowly toward release this morning.

Julian is overcome with the softness of him, but also the feeling of him tight around him, clinching and moving slowly. He looks down to lock eyes with the younger man and pushes himself deeper. Noel lets out a gasp through parted lips, eyes still locked into his and Julian is coming first, all heat and stars in his eyes mixed with the blue of Noel's eyes. His hips stutter as he rocks into it, pushing to prolong it all as long as he can as he spills into him.

Noel runs his hands along Julian’s face, grabs at the back of his neck and arches as he comes shortly after, moaning around his name. Julian feels him shudder and shake with the leftover force of his orgasm as he pulls Julian down to tuck his face in his neck.

He lets out a little muffled gasp of a laugh and Julian nuzzles at his hair, encouraging him up for a kiss. When he unburies his face, Julian realizes with a start that the younger man has tears in his eyes. 

Noel shakes his head and tries to look away but Julian is there first to swipe the moisture away, worried he’s hurt him.

Noel shakes his head. “I’m such a fucking sap.” He gushes with a laugh. 

Julian nuzzles against him, softly trailing his fingers over his face. “What is it, baby?” 

Noel smiles, fresh tears pooling in his eyes. “I just.” He wipes them away, looking embarrassed. “No-one’s ever made love to me like you, Julian. Not all gentle-like like you do.” 

Julian’s heart dips and he kisses at the wetness on Noel’s face while he explains. He had alluded to this in the past, that his previous relationships weren’t kind or loving or good for him. He tells Julian that his eagerness to please had left him giving to people who didn’t care to give him anything back. Hearing the confirmation of it, the sadness in Noel's voice, is heartbreaking. 

"I can't promise I won't be a grumpy arse sometimes," Julian says and Noel grins, "but I'd never hurt you, Noel."

Noel's grin spreads to light up his face into a full smile. He looks a little shy as he cups Julian's jaw. "Maybe I can overlook the grumpiness then." 

They cuddle into late morning, talking and giggling, drifting in and out of sleep together. When Julian arrives at work midday he isn't _technically_ late since he would've been traveling had he stuck to his plans.

"You look well rested and relaxed?" Dave says, sounding somewhat perplexed as he hands him some messages. 

Julian doesn't bother to explain yet. He'll get the expense forms eventually. 

*

Noel thought there had been a mistake when the delivery man knocked at the door of his small shared art studio. The man shuffled the bouquet of flowers as he checked the address on the order form and confirmed yes, it’s for a Noel Fielding. “Must have an admirer!” he quipped with a wink as he handed it over. 

It was a beautiful arrangement vibrantly colored with magenta peonies and scarlet roses and marigold tulips, among flowers of blue and deep green leaves. Noel found the card buried within the foliage and smiled as he read, _“Noel, Here’s to having all the colors. - Julian.”_

He felt a little breathless as he made space for the vase on a table near the window. His mates whistled sounds of approval as they filtered in throughout the day. Noel had played coy, his face red and hiding a smile as he bit around his finger while they prodded him for details. 

He shrugged them off with a “It’s new, s’not a big deal.” Honestly, he was delighted, but he felt like this new thing was so special that he wanted to keep it as a little secret for just a while longer. Something just for himself he could hold onto and savor while it played out.

Weeks after their first night together he was still baffled at how he had managed to land a guy like Julian; successful and well off, but unlike any typical man of that world. Despite his gruff broody outward appearance he is sweet and well romantic and he makes Noel laugh. Even with his dreadfully boring wardrobe, he’s still sexy with that wolfish grin and warm brown eyes that crinkle when he laughs. 

Noel has learned new things about him every day since. His most recent revelation being that those big hands and long fingers are just as deft dancing over the strings of a guitar as they are dancing over Noel’s skin. Most importantly though, unlike Noel’s past relationships Julian makes him feel secure, appreciated and adored. 

The feeling doesn’t fade as Noel continues to receive little gifts as the weeks and months go on and their relationship grows. The deliveries are never extravagant, but they’re always deeply thoughtful and personal; a book related to a new interest or artist that week, a record that’s the perfect soundtrack to Noel’s work in progress, an embarrassingly awful but impossibly soft jumper when the weather turns cold and he complains of the draft. (He wears it nearly ragged.) Noel’s heart still flutters with excitement whenever he hears an unexpected knock on the door. 

Noel spoils Julian differently by yanking him out of the mundane as much as possible. He drops by Julian’s work at lunchtime to pull him by the hand outside for a walk and an ice cream. “You need to get out of that place, break up the day! For your sanity!” When he’s had a particularly rough day at the office Noel pulls him by the hand into the bedroom as quickly as possible to make it better using a variety of different tactics. 

Julian sometimes opens his briefcase and finds black sheets of art paper covered in vivid pastel creations neatly tucked away between printed spreadsheets of numbers and memos. Often it’s a doodle of himself with his features crafted with care in Noel’s own style, racing a crocodile on the moon or scuba diving with Mick Jagger; a world of the whimsical delivered to his office signed with a _Noel x_ in the corner. He collects them in his desk and flips through them when he’s stressed, grateful that Noel has provided him with a little magic and the escape he’s always needed. 

Staying true to his early admission Noel does like to keep the flat tidy and organized. On cleaning days Julian lies on the couch behind a book while Noel bounces around the flat with music blasting, straightening and dusting. Julian pretends to read with his fingers curled over his mouth to hide his grin as he watches his boyfriend hoover in nothing but a tiny t-shirt paired with little pants and mismatched socks. 

Sometimes Julian can’t resist the urge to reach out and pinch his arse playfully as he works his way by, which earns him a smacked hand and a scowl. “Hands off, ‘m working here.” He’ll say with a dirty smirk, knowing exactly what he’s doing.

Julian doesn’t go home to an empty flat very often anymore, but on nights when Noel has late classes or a special project to do Julian always arrives to find a clean flat and his favorite take away or homemade dinner waiting on the counter in foil, ready to be warmed, along with a bottle of wine. The wine never gets opened until Noel gets home though because Julian only wants to drink it when he’s there with him. 

More than anything, the little gifts that both like the best is being with each other. 

*

Julian is awake before his alarm and unable to get back to sleep. Next to him Noel is buried in blankets still deeply asleep, and to Julian’s amusement, snoring softly. Every once in a while he lets out a tiny noise; a chirp or squeak like he’s communicating with small woodland creatures in his dreams. Julian lets out a breath of laughter recalling how the boy had balked when he had remarked one day that he couldn’t even be quiet in his sleep. 

Deciding to get some things done before he has to head into work he slips quietly out of bed, throwing on his reading glasses and a robe to quickly move out of the bedroom before he wakes him. 

He’s just finished up replying to some emails when he looks up over his glasses to see Noel shuffling toward the couch dragging a blanket he’s draped around his shoulders. 

He looks so incredibly young, Julian thinks, taking in his old band t-shirt and leopard print pants with the long shagged layers of his hair sticking up comically. Julian moves just in time to set his laptop on the table before Noel is crawling into his lap, making himself small, tucking his face into his neck.

“Mmm, like when you wear those, daddy. You look well fit in ‘em.” He says sleepily, placing a kiss to Julian’s neck. Julian grins, all work forgotten for now, and wraps his arms around him, pulling the blanket up around them and covering Noel’s bare legs. 

“It’s early, you should go back to bed, love.” He runs his fingers through the boy’s soft hair, smoothing and stroking. Noel lets out a little purr of happiness as he curls himself closer, mouthing with a smile at Julian’s jaw. 

“Just wanted you to talk to me till I fall asleep again.” He says around a yawn, eyes already closed. He slides a hand through the opening of Julian’s robe, just letting his fingers rest on his chest, drawing in the heat from Julian’s body and the blanket around them. 

Julian feels his own eyes close as he softly tells Noel about his plans for the day ahead, just enjoying the feeling of Noel’s hand and his body, a warm comforting weight on his chest anchoring him.

*

Julian wakes with a start, confused at being on the couch with the bright light coming through the windows. He realizes with a jolt that he is very very late to work. He also realizes that Noel is straddling his lap, very much awake. 

Noel leans his forehead against his cheek, his morning stubble rough against his jaw as he says, “Mornin’ Ju Ju.” 

Before he can answer Noel is kissing him; coaxing his mouth open to slide his tongue in and flick it against his. Julian’s dick twitches with interest. He moans low in his chest and reaches for the back of Noel’s head, tangling his hand into his hair and letting his other hand fall to cup his arse. Noel’s fingers are already working at the belt of his robe, untying and pushing it open to run his hands over Julian’s chest and down over his stomach as they kiss. 

Julian goes to remove his readers, but Noel’s fingers stop him. Lips still moving against his, he murmurs, “Keep ‘em on, yeah?” And then with a dirty grin he’s sliding down off the couch to his knees. He crouches in front of Julian’s open robe and nuzzles his cheek against the now fully attentive dick straining against his pants. Looking up at Julian through his lashes he asks sweetly, “Can I, daddy? Just a little taste before you go?” 

Julian glances at the clock opposite and looks down as Noel runs his tongue across his full bottom lip, so eager and ready. The old Julian, the married and then divorced Julian, would be rushing for the shower and for his nearest shirt and forget breakfast or coffee or tea. The old Julian wouldn't have been late to begin with.

Present day Julian smiles and threads his hand into the boy's soft black locks and says, "Of course, baby, go ahead.” Noel smiles. His desire to please Julian with his mouth nearly surpasses getting anything in return.

He makes quick work of removing Julian’s pants and without any hesitation wraps his pretty pink lips around his cock with a satisfying moan. He is so good at hollowing his cheeks to suck with just the right pressure before he pulls off and knows exactly how to swirl his tongue to make Julian hiss and gasp. He looks at Julian wickedly as he slides his mouth back to let his dick bump against the back of his throat. Julian lets out a low growl and maybe pulls a little too much at Noel’s hair, but it only makes the younger man groan with pleasure. 

His readers are foggy from his own breath so he squeezes his eyes shut and lets his head fall back against the couch, lost in the feeling of Noel’s slick wet lips dragging along his shaft, tongue darting to swipe along his head and then his slit. 

When Noel isn’t making wet happy slurping sounds he’s moaning as he works his mouth around him, sending vibrations through Julian’s cock up his spine. He feels his release building low in his stomach. He knows Noel won’t be far behind the way he is squirming and squeezing at Julian’s thigh. 

He grasps blindly at Noel’s head. “Noel, baby…” He starts to bob faster, sucking harder and working his hand around the base, wanting to finish him off eagerly. Julian’s entire body shudders as he lets go. Noel sucks at him as he fills his mouth, lapping until all his release is gone and Julian is completely blissfully spent.

Julian drags him up to suck on his tongue, pushes his pants down and takes his leaking dick in his hand. Julian cups Noel’s face by his chin and whispers, “You’re so good, baby.” He traces a thumb along his plump bottom lip, “This pretty mouth.” Noel sighs and then his eyes flutter shut and his mouth falls open as Julian pumps him two, three times before he comes onto both their stomachs. 

When their breathing has returned to normal Noel chuckles as he removes Julian’s glasses. “Need to wear these more often.” He says with a grin. 

After a quick shower Noel waits for Julian at the door to send him off with a travel mug of fresh coffee. Julian takes his face in both hands and gently kisses him as Noel giggles. “I’ll be here when you get back, ya know.”

Julian smiles, fingers still tracing the strong line of his jaw. “I’ll miss you, Noel.” 

Noel looks up at him with a tilt of his head and smiles warmly, pulls him back for a kiss. “Miss you too, Ju.” Then he rolls his eyes. “Get yourself a blowie and you turn sappy.” 

Julian laughs, raises a brow and shrugs his shoulders. “It was a great blowie.”

Noel slaps him playfully on the arm. “Get to work, you.” 

Julian arrives at the office with a smile he can’t wipe off his face. His assistant looks slightly annoyed telling him he’s moved his morning meetings and appointments. 

Julian wonders what Dave would say if he just proclaimed, “The most beautiful boy I’ve ever laid eyes on just gave me the most mind blowing blowjob and I’ll be worthless the rest of the day.” Instead, he says, “You’re doing a good job, Dave.” And leaves him looking stunned as he closes his office door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. This chapter brought to you by the idea that Noel would absolutely have to perfect the art of tying Julian’s tie if they were of the normal domestic couple world. Then of course all of it completely snowballed from there as everything seemed to do in this fic world of ours.  
> 2\. Sometimes things just happen, like “boy toy” slipping out instead of a Noel in the actual fic and you’re very grateful for final edit run throughs.  
> 3\. We sort of feel sorry for how we treat poor Dave so rest assured he’ll get his payback eventually. ;-)  
> (4. Secret sneaky end note from Katey: I just gotta say how proud I am of starsonthebrow for this one, and how lucky I am to get to write with her. I'm gonna be laughing over that last line from now til the day I die. <3)


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noel speaks through his art. And through three little words.

Noel is nervous. He paces the quiet art gallery floor observing his displays, checking that things are placed just right. He’s sure there’s nothing left to worry over after all his careful preparation, but he needs something to do. 

He had thrown all of his nerves earlier into focusing on his look; replacing his usual t-shirt with a flashy red and black button down and trading his beat up silver boots for some sexy platform boots. He had arrived at the art gallery feeling calm with a pep in his step, wanting to spend some time prepping alone before anyone else arrived.

Now, as the show edges closer and he’s left with nothing else to do he feels the nerves creeping back in. He's not just debuting months of hard work that will encompass his final year of art school. He's debuting Julian. He's kept their relationship a bit of a mystery to his mates, choosing to keep what he and Julian have secret to himself these past few months.

He glances at the clock hung high on the gallery wall. Ten minutes until the official start of his show. Some of his mates have filed in, through the adjoining rooms filled with other student art, along with a mix of other students he doesn’t know and some of the art department professors. He bites his lip as the students walk around and observe his art, running a hand through his hair. He feels itchy. If he stands there waiting another second, he knows he’ll go into a slight panic. He moves toward the small room at the back of the gallery instead.

When he comes back out, the walk around having helped to dispel some of his nervous energy, Julian is the first person he sees. He’s standing in the center of a group of Noel’s mates, laughing and chatting away. He spots Noel and waves him over. As he approaches, he can hear the warmth in Julian’s voice. It’s a blend of his best professional charm, his “meet the clients” voice, but with genuine interest underneath.

“And you must be James,” Noel hears him saying, extending his hand to one of Noel’s musician friends. “Noel’s told me a lot about you. You’re in a band?” Noel tucks himself under Julian’s arm as he goes around the circle of students, making introductions. He glows at all the little things Julian pulls out from the conversations they’ve had about his mates, things that he’s since forgotten mentioning. Julian remembers which of his mates are fine art students and who’s majoring in graphic design, who’s graduating this year, and who prefers Hendrix over Page. If Noel couldn’t hear his boots clicking on the tile below him as he curled tight under Julian’s arm, he’d think he was floating on air.

He fools with his hair and averts his eyes bashfully as his friends shoot him raised eyebrows and impressed looks while they all stand around chatting, but the delight is evident on his face. “Shall we look around then? Let’s see all your work.” Julian suggests eventually and they break into different directions to look over Noel’s bright and colorful paintings and drawings. 

Noel prefers to stand slightly off to the side chatting as people come through, not wanting to hover around Julian while he looks at his stuff. He bites at his nail and greets his guests cheerfully, but can’t resist glancing in his boyfriend’s direction to try and read his face as he studies his work. Some of his friends are gravitating toward Julian again and he feels a little jolt of excitement. They obviously like him, or are interested enough to try to glean as much from him as possible and it makes Noel feel warm. 

He’s finally properly distracted from them when he sees his professors enter together and start to work around the room. His advisor hums his approval as he shakes Noel’s hand and Noel beams, feeling sheer happiness at pulling together his very own show. Having all of his hard work materialized and enjoyed by his peers and friends feels amazing. From across the room Julian is grinning. He knows that Noel has knocked it out of the park. 

Noel loses sight of Julian for a few minutes, chatting with his advisor about their favorite piece of his art. He’s just finished telling them how the oils took a week to dry and he almost ruined the painting by moving the canvas and touching the surface when he realizes Julian’s not in the larger gallery any longer. He wraps the conversation up and walks to the small room at the back of the gallery.

Julian is standing in front of a portrait, framed simply in the center of the wall. There are smaller drawings done in oil pastel surrounding it. The ape hanging off of the Eiffel Tower grins under the portrait of Julian, the one that Noel worked on while he was away. 

Julian hears Noel’s heels clicking as he enters the room and half-turns. His grin travels across his entire face, all the way up to his eyes, the same expression in them that Noel captured on paper. Noel goes a little red when Julian wraps him in his arms, kissing the top of his head, all the little happinesses of the night hot on his skin.

*

Noel is uncharacteristically quiet in the car on the way home. The streetlights illuminate the smile on his face as he peers out the window, lost in thought and feeling a mixture of relief and happiness. Closing his eyes he sees Julian laughing with his mates against the backdrop of his oils and feels his heart swell. He’s certain that his professors had judged his artwork favorably and his friends seemed to have enjoyed it. He’s sure they’ll be texting him tomorrow to discuss Julian, who seems to have been the biggest hit of the evening. 

Julian smiles warmly at him as he moves to lace their fingers together. Noel wants to explain how important that piece was. How much effort he had made to capture the warmness of his eyes, to get the lines of his face just right. He wants to tell Julian it’s so special because Julian is so special to him. 

He feels the car roll to a stop at a red light. Julian gives his hand a little squeeze, testing to see if he’s still awake. He opens his eyes, peering out the window, the glass pressed cool against his forehead. Nearly home. 

Julian clears his throat and accelerates as the light changes. “I loved your show,” he says softly. “I can see how hard you worked. Everyone could. I especially loved the, uh. The smaller gallery. One drawing in particular.” He signals to pull onto their street, parking in front of the flat and cutting the engine. “It was a wonderful surprise, Noel, and I’m proud of you.”

Noel smiles, a little bit of his nervous energy from earlier in the night creeping back in. He dips his head. “I just pictured your eyes and I started drawing. The eyes are the most important bit; that’s where I always start. If you can get the eyes right, the rest falls into place. I really like your eyes, Ju, they’re brilliant.”

Julian squeezes his hand again. “You pictured them? It was from memory?” 

“Yeah,” Noel responds. He pauses. There are a million things he wants to tell Julian right now. That he wouldn’t need a reference photo to capture his likeness, ever. That he can close his eyes at any time and see the planes of Julian’s face, the strength of his profile, the warmth in his eyes. That he wouldn’t need a pencil or paints or pastels to draw his face. He wants to tell him why, tell him three little words. Three big words, really.

Julian studies Noel’s face, the strong line of his jaw and those bright beautiful eyes and wonders how he’s landed here, with a boy who can draw his face without looking, who looks at him with a wonderment that Julian can’t quite understand being directed at himself. 

Looking around the gallery at the brilliant works he had created had floored him and filled him with pride as if he had done them himself. Seeing the look on Noel’s face as his professors complimented him, Julian found himself thinking that he wants nothing more than to see Noel succeed at anything he aspires to do. Every day with him brings new adventure, new light and color to Julian’s world and he wants to give him all of it back just as much. 

Noel tilts his head, looks up at him through his lashes, almost expectedly. How could he tell him all that without scaring him away? Julian thinks. Instead, he leans across the middle console and meets him for a soft kiss. “Let’s get inside, yeah? Bet you are knackered.” 

Julian’s fumbling in his pocket for the keys to the flat when it happens, a sliver of moon lighting the sky above them. 

_Looking back, Noel’s glad it happened this way. There were plenty of times it happened while they were curled up together, limbs intertwined, making love. Plenty of times it happened during everyday events: cooking dinner, watching a film, laughing at something Julian said, blowing him a kiss over the phone. But the first time it happened, it happened imperfectly. It slipped out, the words tripping over his lips like Julian had tripped over his own feet at the zoo, months ago when they’d first met._

Noel grabs his sleeve, his fingers searching for Julian’s. He drops the keys as Noel blurts out, “I love you, Julian.”

Noel grimaces. Julian stills, halfway bent to pick up his keys. He rises to meet Noel’s eyes but he’s studying the ground, toeing at the pavement, a blush evident on his face even in the low light of the street lamp. Julian takes his face in both of his hands, running his thumbs along his jaw, tenderly raising his head and smiling warmly as their eyes finally meet. 

Julian’s grin inflates Noel. He feels a bubble of happiness rising buoyant and confident in his chest. Eyes brightening, he breathes out again, “I love you, Julian.”

Julian feels everything in him soften, his entire body is light as he caresses Noel’s face. It’s so simple, so easy to tell him “I love you, Noel.” before pulling him into a gentle kiss. 

When they break Noel takes a deep breath as if he’s prepared a speech, then in a rush of breath just laughs instead. Julian laughs along with him, his hands moving to the back of his neck to bring him in for a deeper kiss. 

They make it into the flat a few minutes later, Noel giddy with laughter, his arms slung around Julian’s neck as he carries him in. Noel slides off of his back onto their bed, untying his platforms and tossing them on the floor with his jacket and t-shirt. 

He flops onto the pillows and closes his eyes, fixing the image of Julian’s grin in his mind. He raises his hips off the bed as Julian finishes undressing him, opening his eyes at the press of their bare skin together. Julian’s kisses are gentle and soft, focused purely on enjoying the moment. He loses count of how many times he whispers “I love you” against Julian’s lips, how many times Julian whispers it against his skin, before he drifts off curled tightly in Julian’s arms.

*

Julian comes awake to the press of Noel’s lips to his ear, to quiet whispers of his name. His alarm clock glares red at him from the bedside table. Eight past three in the morning. 

“What is it, what’s the matter? You okay?” Julian slurs, wiping his hand down his face, blinking sleep from his eyes.

“’S alright, ‘s okay. I was dreaming,” Noel whispers. He swallows and shuffles his body closer to Julian's, sliding across the sheets. "Dreaming about you inside me. You felt so good, Julian,” he breathes, pressing tightly to Julian's thigh. He’s fully hard, his cock hot and wet against Julian’s bare skin. His eyes are huge, sleepy but luminous in the dark as he shifts his hips forward. “Please, daddy, can we? I want to feel you again, for real this time.” 

Julian’s still half asleep; he doesn’t think about the buzz of his alarm in a few hours. He remembers Noel moaning underneath him a few hours earlier instead, how good he felt engulfed in his slim body, the flutter of Noel’s lashes, how close they felt to each other. 

Julian leans back against the headboard, shuffling his shoulders to prop the pillows up as Noel crawls into his lap. They fumble for the lube on the bedside table and find it at the same time, fingertips bumping together.

Noel’s shivering as Julian uncaps the tube. For a minute, Julian’s sleep-drenched brain is worried that he’s cold. He runs a hand over Noel’s back and curls it around the crest of his hip to his stomach. His soft skin is warm from sleep. Julian grins. He’s so eager, once is never enough, even out of a sound slumber. 

_It’s alright_ , Julian thinks. _Daddy’s here to deliver._

They kiss as Julian fingers him open, Noel’s knees either side of him, his body still trembling. He takes his time stretching Noel; he's not his usual urgent, rushed self, trying to speed Julian on. He's quiet and docile and his hands are resting on Julian's shoulders as they kiss, fingertips barely brushing his skin. 

When he starts rocking back on Julian’s fingers, Julian fumbles for the lube in the sheets. He slicks himself as Noel waits above him, panting softly. Typically, he’d spring to coat Julian’s cock himself. Julian smiles. Eager, but too sleepy to focus on more than one thing at a time, pleasure flooding his limbs and brain.

“Go ahead, lie down, love,” he whispers, guiding Noel onto his back. He spreads his legs, hands sliding over their soft sheets as he settles. The wetness of his cock where it’s lying against his stomach catches the low light as Julian moves. He drizzles a cool line of lube along the underside before tossing the tube back on the bedside table. Noel shivers and curls his hand around his cock, spreading it until he’s slick.

When Julian pushes in, Noel goes still, just holding himself. His other hand comes up to rub lazily at his nipple, barely brushing over his skin. He closes his eyes to enjoy the sensation of being filled, half-awake but back in dreamland. His voice is floaty when he speaks, a little smile on his face as Julian starts to thrust. “Ohhhh, daddy, this is nice, so nice.”

He’s quieter than usual after that, calmer; more soft panting and sighing and less moaning. The sound of their breathing fills the room. It's hypnotic as Julian goes deep and slow, rocking his hips. He loses himself in the tight heat of Noel's body, in the rhythm of his thrusts, in the way Noel's laid out beneath him, dreamy and sweet.

Noel’s other hand drifts up to his chest, slick with lube, drawing little circles around his nipple. He sighs, relaxed and warm and content as Julian leans down to kiss him. He makes his best effort to kiss back, but after a few slides of Julian’s tongue against his, Julian filling him just right, his lips go loose.

Julian can tell he’s getting close, his thighs tensing, his cock heavy and leaking between them. He knows it would only take a couple of pumps to have Noel coming. He stops thrusting and dips his head to run his tongue around Noel’s nipple, listening to his breathing go shallow.

Julian flicks his tongue and grins as Noel arches his body towards him, nuzzling his cheek to the pillow. “So sensitive,” he murmurs, kissing the flat of Noel’s chest. “You ready to come now, baby?” 

“Not yet, daddy,” he breathes as Julian runs his tongue over his fingers, prone on his chest. “So nice… a little more.”

Julian runs his hands along Noel’s body as he sits up, still inside him, feeling the muscle in his stomach tense under his fingertips. One of Noel’s hands creeps to his mouth. He slips a finger inside, gently sucking on it as Julian pulls nearly all the way out, sliding back in long and slow. “Are you sure you’re not ready, baby?” Julian asks. “Mhmm,” Noel whimpers, sounding a little unsteady. He repeats his thrusts, pulling all the way out and then easing back in, until Noel’s moaning quietly around his finger.

Julian stills and leans back down, flicking his tongue over Noel’s other nipple. That's all it takes to break the spell. “Daddy,” he sighs, “please, please make me come now… I wanna come now, please-”

Julian barely touches Noel’s cock before he’s coming in hot spurts over his hand and his stomach. “Oh," he breathes, his voice shivery. "Fuck... daddy, yessss," he sighs. His little body shakes with the force of his orgasm, his mouth falling open as he comes. The sound and the feeling around him is enough to push Julian over the edge after a few more thrusts. Noel pulls him down to kiss him as he moves, riding it out as long as he can, their chests pressed tightly together.

When Julian feels Noel’s breathing starting to even underneath him, he rolls them over onto their sides. Noel reaches for his hand, still covered in his own cum. His little pink tongue darts out in the darkness, lapping at Julian’s fingers and swirling around his palm. Julian’s fully spent, but his cock still twitches at the feeling. Noel smiles and presses a kiss to the center of his palm when he’s finished, curling his legs around Julian’s. 

He sighs, stretching and sated, kissing Julian’s neck as he runs his palms down Noel’s back. “”M I still dreaming?” he mumbles to himself. A few moments later, his voice is drowsy. “Julian? C'n we sleep in tomorrow? I’m well tired after that.” Julian draws him closer to his chest in response, smooths his hands over his skin until he curls in tighter and settles.

It’s only a few minutes more before their breathing syncs and both of them are asleep.

*

Noel spends the next few days after his show riding a wave of euphoria. His show having been deemed a success by his advisor and his feelings being firmly established with Julian had left with him a fresh wave of inspiration and motivation that has kept him in his studio painting happily without abandon. Granted, his bumbled admission had left him feeling silly in that moment, but it had all worked out well enough. Beyond well. 

He smiles as he thinks about the days since; whispering I love you’s in the dark, curled and tangled together, soft kisses and I love you’s going out the door. He floats through the days practically drunk on Julian’s words and feelings he’s never experienced before. Although Julian didn’t need a grand speech or tearful confession that night, he still feels as if he has so much he wants to explain to him. Finding the words though, well, Noel has never been very good at putting fancy words together. 

Instead, as he has done all his life, he wrangles his thoughts and lets them flow through the tips of his fingers and the bristles of his paintbrushes. He weaves the words in colors of cyan and magenta and scarlet onto the soft canvases hanging in his studio. 

His feelings and appreciation for the man he loves materializes into whimsical shapes with lines and limbs entwined, faces made of oils and pastels floating happily together. He hopes one day Julian can see it and understand the messages and feel what Noel has channeled into it. 

The weekend after his show, Julian helps Noel move his paintings and drawings off the gallery walls and back to store in his studio. Noel runs up to unlock the door first, and directs Julian over to an airy corner of the studio, an armful of canvases blocking his view. 

Noel guides him, hands on Julian’s hips, steering him to place his work on one of the mostly cleared tables. He has his canvases drying from the last few days in the opposite corner. As Julian stacks canvases, he slips out to the car to bring his framed drawings in. Julian’s studying the new paintings when he gets back, his long fingers hovering over the wet paint and tracing the brushstrokes of the dried ones.

Noel leaves the box of drawings by the door and crosses the studio floor. He leans his head against Julian’s shoulder, arms wrapping around Julian’s waist as he looks at Noel’s newest art and takes in the paintings with admiration in all of his movements. There are tiny traces of cyan and magenta on Julian’s fingertips when he slips his arm around Noel’s waist and guides him out of the studio. They match the paint left over on Noel’s hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. We have completely merged brains at this point. During our reread, we could no longer tell who wrote what.  
> 2\. We promise we wrote canvas stacking long before TalkArt came out, but if these art coincidences keep happening… brain triplets.  
> 3\. THEY ARE IN LOVE.  
> 4\. These end notes are short, because we didn’t goof much up this time around. Don’t worry, there are some good outtakes coming up.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julian and Noel can always escape to each other on bad days. Daddy hands over his credit card, and fun for everyone ensues.

Julian opens the door to the flat and deposits his jacket, briefcase, and shoes in the hall. There’s music playing softly in the sitting room, and light from the lamp is flooding onto the hallway floor, but otherwise, the flat is still. He doesn’t hear Noel moving around and for a second, he thinks he must be hiding, waiting for Julian to walk into the sitting room so he can launch himself out from behind the sofa with an onslaught of kisses.

Noel’s lying on the sofa instead of crouched behind it, one odd-socked foot propped on the arm. His face is free of makeup and lightly stubbled, his hair pulled back in a loose ponytail that’s coming undone as he’s moved around in his sleep. He’s snoring gently, with a notebook crushed to his chest.

Julian squints. He recognizes Noel’s soft, worn black joggers, and smiles when he realizes he’s wearing one of Julian’s knitted cardigans over his paint-stained t-shirt, one sleeve rolled up past his wrist. The other sleeve is draped completely over his hand and brushing the carpet, which is scattered with books and papers and chewed pencils.

It’s odd to see him dressed down when typically he’s dressed to the nines. Even if he’s popping out to get a takeaway, he’ll fuss over his hair and his outfit and his eyeliner in the hall mirror until Julian joins him, slips his shoes on, and goes with him to pick it up.

Julian thinks about waking him now, tickling the line of his arch, tracing along the swirling, zig-zaggy pattern of his sock. It’s the most extravagant thing he’s wearing. Then he remembers revising sessions that went on until he fell asleep sitting up at his desk, and he switches off the stereo and the lamp and goes to shower and change instead.

There are heaped piles of Noel’s clothing on the bedroom floor and shirts tossed haphazardly on the bed when Julian enters. _Enough to be his entire closet_ , Julian thinks. He picks up an armful of discarded jeans and a few satiny slip dresses and deposits them on the bed, trying to clear a path to his dresser for pants and a t-shirt past a mountain of boots and Converse. _Well. Enough to be most of his closet. No jackets yet_ , he thinks, as he nearly trips on the sleeve of Noel’s current favorite.

He’s awake when Julian comes out, scraping his hand through his hair and gathering it back into a messy ponytail. He bites his thumbnail as he picks up papers from under the coffee table. When Julian sits down next to him and gives him a kiss, he sags into his body.

“Di’n’t hear you come in, Ju Ju,” he exhales against his neck. “Sorry about the mess.”

Julian massages the tangle of hair at the back of his head with his fingertips. “It’s alright. It looks like your closet exploded.”

Noel sighs, his little body tensing against Julian’s side. “Hated everything I tried on this morning. It was all uncomfortable, and nothing went together, and my feet hurt from breaking in my new boots. I kept looking, but I had to stop and try to revise.” He half-gestures at the crumpled papers on the coffee table and at his - Julian’s - cardigan and his joggers. “This is where I ended up.”

Julian hums and keeps rubbing over his scalp, trying to get him to relax. He sighs the next bit out, a hint of disgust in his voice. “With my ridiculous face and a broken brain that can’t conjugate verbs or do sums worth shit.”

Julian stops and pulls back, brow furrowed. Noel looks a little stressed and a little sleepy, his expression downcast, but no less beautiful. He runs the back of his finger down Noel’s stubbled cheek, brushing back loose bits of hair from his face until Noel looks up at him.

Julian cups his face in the palm of his hand. “Wear what makes you happy. If you want to dress up, then you should, but if it’s uncomfortable, you shouldn’t feel pressured to wear it. You’re beautiful no matter what, love,” he manages to get out before Noel tries to turn away and tuck his face back into Julian’s shoulder.

He holds Noel there and leans forward, brushing his lips over Noel’s forehead. “This is beautiful.” The freckles above his brow. “These are beautiful.” The flat of his nose. “Beautiful.” Both of his now-flushed, stubbly cheeks. “These are beautiful, too.” He lingers for a bit, until Noel opens his eyes. They’re not as wide as his grin, but they’re luminous with Julian’s words and love and reassurance.

Julian points at Noel’s lips and wrinkles his nose, his exaggerated expression comical. “Not sure about this bit, though.” Noel manages to grin even wider. Julian shrugs and sighs before closing the distance between them. “But I suppose it’s alright,” he says, kissing Noel deeply.

“Julian? What about my brain?” Noel says when they break apart for breath.

“We can work on that after dinner,” he responds, raking his hand through Noel’s messy hair until he giggles and curls into Julian’s side.

*

Noel flops back onto the sofa, slinging his feet into Julian’s lap. He melts into the cushions as Julian rubs his thumb into his arch with one hand. He’s got Noel’s scrawled notes in the other. He clears his throat. “Alright, conjugation of _avoir_ again.”

Noel slings his arm over his eyes and arches his foot as Julian digs in. “ _J’ai, tu as, il a_ ... _nous avons_ … _vous avez_ … _ils ont_?”

“Good,” Julian nods, not looking at the paper. “ _Etre_.” He starts on Noel’s other foot.

“ _Je suis, tu es, il est_ … _nous_ something or other…” Noel trails off. “I don’t know, I can’t concentrate. Feels too good.” He scoots closer to Julian, trying to knock the paper out of his hand with his other foot. “You’re not even looking. Put that down and do both.”

He hums in satisfaction when Julian complies. “How’re you so good at it, anyway?”

“French? Or foot rubs?”

Noel pokes his tongue out in Julian’s direction. “French, you joker.”

“I took a few terms at university and it just stuck. The vocabulary more than anything else. Little interesting things.”

Noel sighs as Julian stretches his toes. “Like what?”

“Funny words, a lot for food. ‘ _Pasteque_ ’ is watermelon, ‘ _pamplemousse_ ’ is grapefruit. ' _Barbe a papa_ ' is candy floss… it means ‘daddy’s beard.’”

Noel wrinkles his nose. “That’s horrendous. What else did you learn?”

“Terms of endearment."

Noel perks up a bit. “Terms of endearment, like…”

“ _Mon petit chou_.”

There’s a little smile playing around Noel’s lips. “That sounds nice… what’s it mean?”

Julian grins. “Sweetie or darling, but the straight translation is ‘my little cabbage.’”

“What?” Noel squawks, lifting his arm off of his eyes. “Surely you’re not serious. That’s supposed to be romantic?”

Julian shrugs. “How about ' _mon bijou_?' My jewelry, my adornment’”

Noel laughs and kicks lightly at Julian’s stomach. “Try again.”

“ _Mon coeur_.”

Noel purses his lips. He knows what that one means. He lifts his arm and levers himself to sit up, scraping his stubbly cheek against Julian’s, the tips of his soft hair tickling over Julian’s skin. “That one is acceptable.”

His kisses are soft and sweet as he rests his hand against Julian’s steadily beating heart.

*

Julian pulls his reading glasses off and tosses them on his desk, pressing his fingers into his eyelids. The end of the month had crept up on him, along with several last-minute client meetings and a huge project that his boss assigned him to work on less than a week before he needed it complete. He’s more than a little stressed and fed up, numbers rolling across his vision when he shuts his eyes. He’d woken up long before his usual alarm to head to the office early, then spent a couple more hours in his home office after the workday, trying to catch up. 

Julian hates feeling behind at his job, but more than anything, he hates that he hasn’t had the time for anything but work for the past few days. It was fine every now and again when it was just him, working every waking hour until he dropped into bed, but now that he’s with Noel-

He snaps his laptop shut with more vehemence than necessary. His home office door creaks a few seconds later. It’s a relief to feel Noel’s small hand, soothing on the back of his neck. His voice is quiet when he speaks, hand stroking down Julian’s back. 

“Ju, come eat. I made your favorite.” He pauses. “I can bring it in, but you should take a break. Get out of that chair. Have a change of scenery. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.”

He doesn’t say, “Come spend time with me,” or “I miss you.” He doesn’t have to. Julian can hear it in his voice. It’s in his own when he agrees to get up and away from his desk. It’s in his kiss when he presses his lips to Noel’s palm before Noel leads him to the sofa, where he has dinner laid out on the coffee table. 

Noel hands him his plate and reaches for the remote, channel flipping innocently enough until he switches over to what’s in the DVD player. It just happens to be Julian’s favorite film, the orchestral score curling out of the speakers around the black and white opening credits. He curls into Julian’s side as he eats, resting his head on Julian’s shoulder after he finishes his own plate. When Julian leans forward to put his empty dish on the coffee table, Noel slides behind him and tugs on the back of his t-shirt, his hands resting on Julian’s shoulders. “Don’t get up yet. You’re all tense, Ju. Let me.”

He guides the hem of Julian’s shirt over his head and sits up on his knees, digging his thumbs into the knots in Julian’s shoulders. He groans and lets his head fall forward as Noel works at his neck and his back. His hands might be small, but they’re strong and warm and dexterous, loosening the tension out of his body skillfully. 

After a few minutes, Noel leans forward, chest pressed into his back. He wraps his arms around Julian, gently squeezing. “You can take a break without feeling guilty, you know,” Noel whispers, his breath warm in Julian’s ear. “You know what you’re doing, you’ve worked there forever. They can’t fault you for needing to step away for an hour to breathe. It’ll all be there in the morning anyway, Ju. S’no good to just keep sitting there, staring at all them numbers til you go to sleep.” 

Julian nods, one hand coming up to cover both of Noel’s where they’re curled around his chest. “Alright, what d’you fancy for afters, Ju?” he says out loud. There’s the hint of a smile in his voice. “Biscuits or ice cream?” He laughs when Julian tells him he wants a bit of both, and scurries off of the sofa to bring their dirty dishes to the kitchen.

They have dessert on the couch and finish out the film, Noel cuddled into his side, holding his hand and smoothing his fingers over Julian’s arm. He ends up with his head pillowed in Noel’s lap as the end credits roll, letting him rub circles into his temples, trace under his eyes, smooth down his stubbly jaw. 

“Think I could go for a nice hot shower,” Julian breathes. “Mmm,” Noel answers. “Think I could go for one. Do a little exfoliation, too.” “Nice hot shower,” Julian muses, “with exfoliation. Then an early night?” 

“Exac’ly what I was thinking,” Noel agrees with a grin. 

Noel scrubs Julian’s back in the shower until the rest of the tension drains out of his shoulders. His skin is smooth and damp and warm when they slide into their sheets. Julian kisses him until they’re both drifting off to sleep, pressed together tightly. 

*

Julian’s phone vibrates on his desk. 

“top marks on my french exam i am buzzing! x”

“thanks for helping me revise x x x couldn’t have done it without you x”

Julian smiles. Before answering, he flips from a spreadsheet to his calendar to make sure that there aren’t any pressing client meetings towards the end of the week. He phones Dave to let him know he’ll be out of the office on Friday afternoon and taps out a response to Noel.

“Let’s celebrate. Take you shopping on Friday after your class? Get you a new wardrobe worthy of a scholar.”

Noel responds before he can set his phone down.

“you spoil me ju x x x x x x x x je t’aime x”

“You spoil me. Proud of you. Je t’aime. x”

*

Julian’s in the middle of finishing up the last of his week’s work when Dave buzzes him to tell him an important client is on the phone asking to reschedule their meeting that was supposed to take place well into next week to this afternoon. 

Julian grimaces. It’s not a request he can say no to; when his boss handed the client over to him, he told Julian specifically to keep them happy no matter what. He reluctantly agrees and waits until Noel’s out of his class before calling him.

“Hey, Ju, you almost ready?” His voice is full of cheer, buoyant and light. Julian feels awful letting him down.

“Hey, love. I had a client reschedule for this afternoon… I can’t miss meeting with them on pain of death from my boss. Can you get a ride to the office with one of your mates? I’ll give you my card and you can still go shopping, and I’ll meet you over at that Italian place after?”

Noel sighs, sounding a little deflated. “Yeah, I can be there in a few minutes.”

“I’m sorry, love,” Julian responds. “’S’alright,” Noel breathes. “See you in a few minutes. Love you, Ju Ju.”

“Love you too.”

*

As Julian escorts his client into his office across town, Noel ponders whether he needs another pair of blue drainpipes. If shopping were a sport or a competition, he’d have trophies lining the top shelf of his closet. As it is today, without Julian there to point out sensible shirts that make him wrinkle his nose, or to hold his try on pile, it’s less fun than usual. Yes, daddy can get a little prickly sometimes, especially when it comes to shopping - he’s so big and broad, barely anything fits him right off the rack - but Noel misses him all the same. He leaves the drainpipes behind and wanders into the shop next door.

“Get something nice,” Julian had said, tapping his card on the corner of his desk before handing it over to Noel, wrapping him up in an embrace and kissing the top of his head. Their definitions of “nice” are a little different. Noel knows that the vintage shop two streets over takes plastic, and those platform boots he saw there the last time he peeked in were well nice. So was the cape. And the rack of concert t-shirts, worn in to soft, faded perfection, and very, very expensive.

“Something sensible and business casual. A blazer, perhaps. Something good for the next work event we have to attend,” Julian had continued, rubbing little circles into Noel’s back. He’d sighed against Julian’s chest. “Alright. There was a cool paisley one at Topshop last week. Velvet. Bright purple and green. With silver buttons,” he responded, smiling against Julian’s chest as a laugh caught in his throat.

“Please just pick out a nice suit jacket,” Julian answered, mock sternly. “And get something fun, too. You earned it." He paused and squeezed Noel a little tighter. "I’m really sorry to do this, to cancel on you-” he’d started to whisper into Noel’s hair.

Noel pulled back and cut him off with a kiss. “I’ll miss you. Try not to have too much fun without me, alright?” he’d said as Noel had left, waving cheerily to Dave and stashing Julian’s card in his tiny front pocket.

It’s an easy request. Noel cheers up a bit when he makes his first purchase of the afternoon, a pair of classic black Converse for Julian. Shopping goes a little easier after that. He goes back for the drainpipes and picks up some new t-shirts at a funky little shop hiding on a side street. 

The first hour passes quickly, and by then he wishes he’d brought his emptied-out school bag along with him as extra storage for his purchases. After another forty-five minutes and a few sales more, he thinks about catching a taxi home and dumping everything he’s carrying in the front hall, texting Julian to tell him to forget dinner because he’s knackered.

He’s fishing for his mobile in his pocket to do just that, juggling a couple of shoeboxes, when he gets an idea that definitely confirms they’ll be forgetting dinner that night. He visits one more shop before heading home.

*

Noel greets Julian at the door with a kiss, wearing a flash new outfit. He cocks his hat and grins, turning around in a circle so Julian can get the full effect. He knows Julian’s brow will be raised before he completes his spin. Julian reaches out to pull the tag off the sleeve of his new jacket, bright purple velvety paisley and silver buttons and all. “Sensible business casual?” he asks, plucking his card out of Noel’s outstretched fingers.

“But that’s so boring, Ju Ju… let me show you what else I got.”

Noel takes his hand and leads him toward the bedroom. He sits Julian down on the bed and drapes a muted red plaid scarf around his neck. Julian fingers the material. “That’s more the type of sensible business casual I had in mind,” he drawls.

“Good,” Noel grins. “‘Cause that one’s for you, not me.” His is silver, flecked with sequins and metallic thread. It matches his gleaming silver nails. He waggles the fringed end at Julian before tossing him his new Converse. “These are for you too. D’you wanna see what else I got?”

Julian huffs about his many, many, _many_ purchases at first, but Noel knows he really does like them. After the third change into a tiny t-shirt and jeans that fit snug in all the right places, he can tell what Julian’s thinking. Business casual is fine enough when he’s at the office, but why worry about that concept now?

“Don’t go anywhere, Ju, ‘m’not done yet,” he calls over his shoulder as he ducks back into the bathroom to change. “Last one.” He has a bit of a struggle with the zipper, but he has to admit it was worth it when he looks in the mirror above the sink, adjusting the material against his skin.

When he comes back out, Julian goes still for a second before sitting up very straight on the edge of the bed. Noel walks over unhurriedly and grabs his hand, sliding it against his stomach. He lets Julian’s hand rest there, warm through the soft material of his pretty silver velvet dress, as he unbuttons Julian’s shirt. He presses up against Julian’s bare skin, the fabric clinging to his thighs. His voice is low and teasing when he speaks, his fingers dancing over Julian’s shoulders, the back of his neck, curling into his hair.

“Feel how soft it is, daddy? Isn’t it nice?”

Julian’s hands fall to cup his arse and pull him closer. He makes a little noise in the back of his throat when Julian reaches up his back to trace over his zipper. “It’s very, very nice, baby,” he says, keeping his tone measured. 

He stands and sweeps his eyes over Noel’s body, taking in his fishnets, the drape of the material over his rapidly filling cock, his silver nails and shadow. The expression on Julian’s face makes Noel shiver as he turns him around and starts to pull the zipper down at a leisurely pace.

For a second, Julian wonders how he got the dress zipped all the way up by himself. As more and more of Noel’s smooth back is revealed, as he makes more quiet, happy noises at the feeling of Julian’s hands against his skin, he forgets to think about it. He’s young, he’s flexible, he’s beautiful under Julian’s palms, his skin softer than the fine material of the dress.

Julian dots little kisses as he goes, unzipping him evenly, inch by inch. When he gets close to the dip of his back, Noel shivers and pulls away, turning to face him. He unwraps himself, letting the dress slip off of his body and pool around his ankles. His panties are matching silver lace, his cock straining against the fabric.

He steps out of the dress so carefully; always nice to his clothing, especially something brand new. His cheeks are flushed when he looks up at Julian, pointing his toes in. He stretches out his little body, lengthening his torso, just letting Julian look at him, at the planes and curves of him. Julian’s eyes move up and down Noel’s body, admiring. He already had an inkling of what was under the dress from the first time he touched Noel, but he doesn’t let on. He’s just grateful to have someone like Noel all to himself, someone that wants to give him all these little surprises.

He takes Noel by the hand and sits back down on the edge of the bed, guiding him to stand in between his legs. He runs a finger over Noel’s cock, tracing him through the lace. “Beautiful,” he breathes against Noel’s stomach. “You look so pretty wearing them. All of you is so pretty….”

His fingers rest in the band of Noel’s thigh highs as he flicks his tongue across Noel’s skin. “You’re an artist and you’re a work of art,” he says, voice low, grinning as he feels Noel’s fingers tense where he’s gripped Julian’s shirt. He slides his thigh highs down one at a time. The panties go next; he peels them midway down Noel’s thighs and strokes him once, from base to tip, just to hear the whimpering noise he makes at the first firm touch to his dick.

He can’t stop after that, stroking Noel and kissing his stomach as he mewls and pants, biting his bottom lip and trying to hold back. Julian’s hand is stroking him just right; his hips jerk up and his breath hitches and Julian’s barely touched him yet, but he knows just how to make him feel so good. He pushes into Julian’s fist, the pleasure streaming through his body dizzying, moaning, “Mmmm, daddy, yessss,” and the next thing he knows he’s coming all over his soft, smooth stomach.

Julian runs his fingers through it and brings his hand to his mouth for a taste, pulling Noel off of his shaking legs and onto the bed next to him. He grabs Julian and kisses him deeply, wanting to taste himself on Julian’s tongue. Julian kisses at his neck and pushes his hair off his forehead as he recovers, slipping his panties off from around his ankles.

The rest of his come hasn't even cooled yet when he's giggling into Julian's neck and pressing fluttery kisses onto his jaw. He reaches up to Julian’s ear and whispers, "Are you gonna fuck me now, daddy?"

Julian practically growls and pins him to the mattress, one hand reaching for the lube on the bedside table. Noel wiggles out from under him and holds out his hand, waiting for Julian to lube his fingers up. He reaches behind himself, drawing little circles around his hole, closing his eyes as he opens himself up, letting Julian watch as the tip of his silvery fingernail disappears inside his body. 

When he gets two fingers inside himself, Julian slicks his cock first, then Noel’s, listening to his delicately gasped breath. His skin is so soft and pale that he looks fragile, but the taut muscle in his stomach and the definition in his thighs and his wiry arms are anything but delicate when he's clinging onto Julian, meeting every one of his thrusts and moaning, "More, daddy, harder."

“Alright, baby, come on. Up.” Julian stops thrusting and pulls out, half-dragging Noel up on all fours. He waits for him to settle before clutching his perky arse and thrusting back in, as deep and hard as he can. He watches the way Noel curls his body, the arch of his back as he takes Julian and then pushes back against him, his shoulders working to keep himself upright, fingers curling into the bedding. 

Noel moans, "Ohhhh, good, good, so nice," as Julian goes deep and hard, gripping at Noel's hips, snapping his forward. They’re both rushing and they know it. 

Julian slides his hand along Noel’s back and tells him, “You’re such a good boy, baby,” trying to make him melty and whimpery, trying to get him to slow down a little. He rocks his hips into Noel, letting his hand glide over the soft, taut skin of his stomach. He dips his fingers along the sparse trail of hair leading down to Noel’s lubed and leaking cock, a tease of a caress that makes Noel groan and beg, “Please, daddy, please touch me, I need you to touch me-”

Julian wants to touch him, wants to bury himself deep in the tightness and heat of Noel’s body around his cock, feel Noel come shaking underneath his body, his cock gripped tightly in Julian’s fist. He moves back to clutching his hips instead, wanting to ride it out as long as possible. 

Noel wants it to last too, this feeling of closeness, Julian engulfed so deep inside of him, Julian who knows just how to touch him, how to hold him, how he needs to be loved. Biting his lip, he moans out, "Slow, Ju, slow, please," until Julian's just holding his hips, rocking into him, little rushes of pleasure sliding under his skin. He moves back, rocking slowly along with Julian until they’re both close. 

“Daddy… wanna see you come…” he pants, hands gripping the sheets. “Wanna see you come inside me… _please_ …”

Julian eases out and then they’re moving again to put Noel on top. He finds his rhythm easily, his movements fluid as he bounces in Julian’s lap, one hand in his hair. Julian watches the slide of the muscle in his stomach, how wet and thick his cock is, how sharp his jaw is when he throws his head back. He takes Noel's cock in one hand and matches his rhythm to Noel's, speeding when he gasps desperately and starts moving faster. "Ohhhh, daddy, kiss me," he whines, and Julian reaches to pull him down and tongue him deep just as he starts to come, two short, sharp “ah”s signaling his release.

Noel whimpers and pants his name over and over as he covers his stomach and Julian’s hand, his big eyes locked on Julian’s. As Noel stops moving, he plants one foot on the mattress and puts both of his hands around Noel’s tiny waist, and thrusts up in earnest. It doesn’t take long before he’s coming with Noel’s muscles clenched around him. He thrusts through his release until he's completely spent, his chest heaving as Noel drops down on to him, curling his arms around Julian’s neck. 

Julian runs his hands down Noel’s back as his breathing slows against Julian’s chest. “Don’t fall asleep,” he says when he’s gotten enough breath back to speak, squinting over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. “Still enough time to go back out and get you that sensible blazer.” 

Noel laughs against his skin. “Can’t. Hit your credit limit in the first half hour.” He giggles harder as Julian playfully smacks his arse and slides out from underneath him. He nudges a medium-sized shopping bag with his foot on his way to the shower. “Did you miss one earlier?”

Noel scoots off the bed and grabs the bag off the floor, opening it to display a mass of panties in every cut, color, pattern, print and fabric that Julian can name, and several he can’t. There’s a sale flyer on top: “Three pairs for the price of one, seven for the price of five” printed in swooping script. Noel’s grin goes from sheepish to devilish when Julian meets his eyes. 

“The more you bought, the more you got off,” he shrugs, dropping the bag back onto the carpet with pursed lips. 

Julian smirks and drags him to the shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1.The planning notes for the last half of this chapter went something like this:
> 
> Julian: “Please just pick out a nice suit jacket.”
> 
> Us: He’s gonna buy a dress and all the underwear
> 
> Us: And you’re gonna really, really like it, Julian
> 
> 2\. Just throwing it out there that kateyboosh wrote most of this as we were having a lovely discussion about gardening, proving there is never a wrong time to write some really amazing filthy smut when the inspiration hits. PS: We probably innocently talked about stakes. (Thanks for ruining that forever, Noel.)
> 
> 3\. Also let it be known that Noel was not averse to wearing some silver polish from time to time. Thanks for that bit of inspiration, Mr. Fielding.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noel takes Julian to a gig after discovering his musical talent. Julian shows Noel a different side, and Noel likes it. 
> 
> “It’s not a competition, love… but daddy knows all the tricks.”

Julian sips his beer as Noel dances and bobs in the tight space around him. The club is stuffy and sweaty and noisy, but the band is good, really good actually, and Julian is enjoying the mood all around him. Everyone in the packed room is enjoying themselves, dancing and singing along. It’s been a while since he’s been to a gig. 

Noel had discovered Julian’s guitar propped in his living room almost immediately during one of their earliest dates together, which had prompted Julian to modestly admit he could play a little. Noel had insisted, so he had played a few little instrumentals and a version of Bowie’s “Heroes” because he knew it was one of Noel’s favorites. They had both sung along softly before Noel had proclaimed, “You are well good!” Julian had squirmed and admitted he had always wanted to be in a band, but that hadn’t worked out. 

Ever since, Noel has been completely taken with it, demanding he play at random, sitting with his face in his hands like a heartsick fan as Julian strums. Afterward he crawls into Julian’s lap, wraps his arms around his neck and murmurs, “Have I ever told you how much I dig musicians?” Then Julian always says, “Hm, don’t remember, maybe you can tell me again?” All wolfish grin as he lifts him up to take him to bed. 

When Noel had suggested they check out his friend’s band together though Julian was a little hesitant, but he couldn’t say no. He is well above the average age of just about everyone here as he had anticipated, but thankfully he doesn’t feel too out of place. 

Noel has made sure that he’s supplied with a cold beer in his hand at all times and also that anytime he runs into someone he knows (which seems like everybody in the building) he instantly pulls Julian into their circle, excitedly introducing him and yelling over the music to the crowd, _Julian’s a genius musician too!_

Julian has to laugh a little at the current state of him though. Julian had thrown on a button up and jeans for the evening while Noel arrived looking like a rock star, clad in too tight black jeans and an Iggy Pop t-shirt. His beat up black leather jacket and red leather chelsea boots just make him look unassumingly cooler. 

Now his hair is wild and his eyes are wide. The makeup rimming them is just a little smudged by sweat. You could easily mistake him for one of the actual band members now, Julian thinks. 

He sings along, bobbing his head and throwing his hands over his head flinging his hair, lost to the world around him but the music. Julian can’t help but smile back and nod his head along with him when he glances over his shoulder and meets his eye with a wide dazzling smile.

Noel’s enthusiasm for everything is contagious; it breathes life into Julian’s otherwise quiet demeanor. So when the band plays Noel’s favorite song and he grabs Julian by the hand to dance along with him he doesn’t hesitate as he normally would; he dances right along with him and laughs as Noel twirls around his arm like a ballroom dancer. 

When the show starts to wind down Noel leans his back against Julian’s chest during a slower song and wraps one arm around his neck as he sips his drink. Julian leans into him, holding him by the hips, feeling him buzz against him.

After he finishes his drink he turns and nuzzles into Julian’s chest, “Alright Ju?” Julian nods, sliding his hands to the dip at the small of his back. 

He can tell Noel’s running on the last of his energy, still a little buzzed from drink, but the adrenaline is starting to drain. He’s had a long week of classes. He responds with a docile nod and a peck on the lips when Julian suggests they get back. 

He dozes off and on while Julian drives them back to the flat and leans heavily against Julian as he opens the door. Unzipping and dropping his boots as he walks in the door and peeling his shirt over his head, he falls onto the bed with a loud sigh. 

“Was a good show, yeah Ju?” He says, running a hand through his messy head while Julian undresses. “I’m knackered though.” He rubs at his face with a loud yawn, star fished on the bed like a rag doll in drain pipes. 

Julian chuckles, “Getting a bit old for the party life?” 

Noel laughs with his eyes closed, opening them to give Julian an appraising nod. “My boyfriend outlasted me. The shame of it.” He closes his eyes again with a content smile. 

Julian moves over and begins undoing the zip to his jeans. Noel doesn’t open his eyes, just lifts his hips as they’re pulled off. Then he’s moving so that Julian can pull the duvet over him. “Thanks, Ju Ju.” He settles in happily, ready to to doze off. 

Julian knows he typically has a multi-stepped face cleaning routine, but he’ll help at least wipe the black smudged liner and the day’s gunk off for him. 

Noel lets out a satisfied moan as Julian places the warm flannel to his face and then sighs as he feels him softly swipe it over his closed eyes, leaving just a trace of the black liner and mascara behind. 

As Julian finishes moving it over his face, wiping him clean, he opens his eyes slowly, half-lidded and heavy, but still so full of adoration and fondness for him. “You spoil me, Ju-yin.” 

Julian gives him a soft kiss. “I enjoy doing it. Goodnight, love.” 

*

Julian’s going slow and gentle, his thrusts fluid and even and so steady, Noel meeting every one. He’s not lost to it yet; there’s still a cheeky grin on his face when he gasps, “Let’s get going, old man, sometimes I gotta be fucked proper.”

His grin spreads across his face, the apples of his cheeks going pink when Julian loses his methodical pace in surprise. Noel’s learning that sex doesn’t have to be a race to come, that “proper fucking” isn’t always just fast and hard. Julian’s enjoyed teaching him, pulling him up to sit in daddy’s lap when he’s eagerly dropped between Julian’s legs on the sofa and scrabbled for his zip, whispering in Noel’s ear that it’s the journey, not just the destination, as he traced the ring of his nipple and made Noel shiver.

Noel’s learning, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost his sense of humor. Doesn’t mean Julian’s lost his, either.

“'Old man?'” Julian asks, brow raised as he pulls nearly all the way out. “What happened to ‘daddy?’”

Noel doesn't answer. He bites his lip, his eyes dropping closed when Julian gives him a taste of what he wants, rapid thrusts that have him cursing and writhing in the sheets. One eye pops open to peer up at Julian when he slows back down after half a minute or so, back to his previously interrupted pace. Noel jokingly huffs and sighs and pouts, making a show of it until Julian angles just right with thrusts that hit against his prostate until he’s whimpering instead. Julian grins, because clearly, his way of doing things isn’t “proper fucking,” then.

He varies his pace after that, alternating between long, slow slides and rapid thrusts, trying not to let on when he’s getting ready to shift from one to the other. Noel rocks his hips along with him, or cants his body upward to meet Julian’s every move. He groans when he’s close, his back arching up off the bed during a burst of hard, fast thrusts, strands of his hair tangled against the pillow. There’s a glint in his eye as he wraps his hand around his cock, slick and glistening against his stomach. He wanks himself matching Julian’s movements, his fist pumping between them.

Julian guides him, holds him right there, and stops moving just as he’s at the edge. All of Noel’s breath rushes out as he meets Julian’s gaze, stopping the motion of his hand. Julian’s close too, the tightness and warmth of Noel’s body and the challenging grin playing around his lips urging him to pull out and sink back in hard and fast until they’re both coming seeing stars. He holds off until he feels the heat that’s building in his spine start to waver. He edges the both of them again, stilling his body when Noel speeds his fist, his cock a leaking mess. Noel stops immediately, squeezing himself, lashes fluttering.

“Daddy,” he gasps. “I wanna feel you come inside me.” He makes the subtlest little move upward, tightening his muscles around Julian. “Mmm, you’re so big.” He purrs when he feels Julian twitch, fist still gripped tightly around himself, eyes half-lidded. His other hand skates up over the flat plane of his stomach, coming to rest just below his belly button, rubbing a little circle there like a target. “So big, daddy. So big I can feel you here.”

Julian can’t help it. Noel’s grin is wicked, his eyes clear and wide as Julian thrusts into him twice, hard, and comes with a groan. Noel lets go of his dick and immediately follows, his come streaking over his pale stomach, flecks hitting his chest as his limbs shake.

The way he cocks his head at Julian after, lifting his hand to his lips to lick over his fingers, says daddy might have taught him a lot, but he’s full of his own tricks.

*

He’s insufferable afterwards, strutting around the flat like a peacock in his little pants, a grin on his face to rival the cat who ate the canary. After ten minutes, Julian affectionately tells him he’s practically impossible to live with, ruffling his hands through Noel’s hair to watch his grin spread further across his face.

The next day, it’s all Julian can think about. In the car, in the office, in an afternoon staff meeting with three of the four partners of the firm, all he can focus on is Noel’s pale body, his hand squeezing around his thick cock, his fingertip circling slowly, rustling the sparse trail of hair on his stomach. His eyes were so wide as he shuddered underneath Julian and came. 

He texts Julian a selfie near the end of the day with a vibrant painting of monkeys and elephants as a background. His hair is rumpled from working, his eyes stark blue in his pale face. His expression is half-vulnerable, half-assured. Julian has to set his phone down and walk around his office for a few minutes to cool down in order to get through the rest of the day.

Julian’s ready to burst by the time he gets to his car, flinging his briefcase on the passenger seat and grinding the key in the ignition. He pulls out of the parking lot faster than he should, giving Dave a cursory wave as he drives past quickly enough to ruffle Dave’s smart suit jacket. He doesn't care when the tires squeal a little as he takes the first corner.

*

Noel’s at the sink when he opens the flat door, scrubbing spare traces of greens and blues off of his fingers. His school bag is slouched behind the kitchen chairs, one of his sketchbooks open to a blank page on the table. Julian quickly ducks into the bathroom and fumbles in the cabinet, kicking his shoes off and leaving them there. He strips his jacket off and tosses it in a heap on top before heading for the kitchen.

Noel’s still rinsing his hands under the water, trying to get a stubborn bit of ultramarine out from between his fingers. He doesn't turn his head at the sound of something being tossed on the kitchen table, deep in concentration. When Julian wraps him in his arms, one hand slides under his shirt to pinch a nipple. The other goes directly to Noel’s zip.

“Hello to you, too,” Noel gasps, giggling a bit in surprise. He stops when he feels the press of Julian’s cock to the small of his back. “You had a good day at work, then.”

“Mmm,” Julian agrees, nipping at his earlobe. He slides Noel’s zip down and reaches into his pants, feeling him start to harden at his touch. “I was thinking of you all day,” he says, voice low in Noel’s ear. Noel spreads his legs, trying to accommodate Julian’s hand in the tight confines of the denim. He drops to cup Noel’s balls, rolling his nipple between his fingers. When Noel squirms and presses back against him, he curls his hand tight around his cock and strokes as best he can.

Noel’s wet hands grip the ledge of the sink as Julian moves his fist faster. His other hand comes out of Noel’s shirt; he reaches to turn the hissing faucet off. “All I could think about,” he growls, tightening his grip. “Your cock. Your eyes.” 

Noel huffs a breath as Julian drops his head to mouth at his neck. “The things you said.” Noel lets out a moan; Julian’s fist is moving impossibly fast, sending fire through his veins. It’s not often Julian touches him like this, intense and on the edge of rough. His hands tense on the sink ledge. The streaks of paint on his skin are vivid, stark against his white knuckles.

He bucks into Julian’s fist. “Everything,” Julian growls into his ear. “I was thinking about everything… everything you want. I want to give it to you.” His grip is so tight and he’s moving perfectly, quick and hard, speeding Noel to the edge instead of easing him, pushing him over instead of holding him there. When Julian drops his head and sucks at his collarbone, he comes in his pants without making a sound, his hands still damp from the water, clenched around the sink ledge.

He blinks and tries to catch his breath, tries to figure out who possessed his staid, calm Julian while he was at work. Julian's hand slides out of his pants as he leans down to whisper in his ear. “It’s not a competition, love… but daddy knows all the tricks.” He wipes his hand off against Noel’s t-shirt instead of rinsing it in the sink.

Noel pretends to be put out for about three seconds. It's all the time he gets before Julian turns him around and kisses him urgently, peeling his ruined shirt off over his head. Between kisses, he grins wickedly. When Julian nips at his neck, he manages to get out, “Hope you know all the stain removing tricks, daddy… your turn to do laundry tonight.”

He's just finished speaking when he finds his sodden pants and jeans are around his bare feet and his legs are around Julian's waist. His body goes weightless from how quickly he's lifted. Julian's mouth is hot and insistent against his, the sudden rush of cool air against his back when Julian strides across the kitchen making him shiver. 

Noel laughs in disbelief when Julian decisively deposits him on the kitchen table. He spreads Noel out quickly, his head coming to rest on his sketchbook as Julian swats junk mail off the tabletop, clearing extra space. Noel can see his paints and spare brushes teetering on the lip of the table out of the corner of his eye. He vaguely thinks he should move them, but his head's still fuzzy from his first orgasm and from Julian's promise. _Everything he wants_. He shivers, fingers sliding along polished wood, bumping the tube of lube Julian tossed there earlier. 

Noel grins. He wants to be devoured. The intense look on Julian's face says he's going to keep his promise.

Julian loosens his tie and undoes his top buttons. He fumbles on the third and abandons his shirt, reaching to unbuckle his belt and wrench down his trousers and pants instead. His cock is leaking; it looks distractingly hard, begging to be touched. Still, he's got the lube uncapped and slick fingers teasing at Noel's hole in an instant. Noel pulls his knees up to his chest to aid Julian as he prepares him. His giddy, incredulous giggles are cut short when Julian rubs his first finger against his prostate as soon as he's inside. The feeling jolts through his entire body. "Fuck," he gasps, fingernails scratching at the tabletop. 

By the time Julian has two fingers inside, fucking him with shallow thrusts, his cock is half hard against his stomach. Julian's a blur of motion, his brow knitted together as he reaches for the lube with his free hand. Noel grabs for it and squeezes more into Julian's palm, not wanting to lose the feeling of Julian's fingers for a minute, filling him, stretching him, fucking him. 

Julian's cock is painfully hard when he finally slicks himself, his breath hissing out in a hot rush, his fingers sliding out of Noel at the stimulation. Noel watches the line of his throat, his head flung back, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows, and scoots to the lip of the table, lifting his legs to slide around Julian's waist.

Julian doesn't tease, doesn't rub the head of his cock against Noel's hole, doesn't wait for Noel to moan with impatience and beg him to get inside of him. He lines up and pushes home in one smooth stroke, filling Noel so perfectly that he feels like he might come then and there. 

His hands are shaking with pleasure and anticipation when he raises them off the table. Julian knows what he's asking for. He bends to crush their lips together as Noel's fingers thread into his hair. Julian breaks the kiss and leaves Noel gasping open mouthed as he starts to move, groaning as he grips Noel's hips.

"Ohhhhh," Noel responds as he starts to slam in faster, "more, daddy, more, that's just right, just what I need." His pale body is gleaming with sweat against the dark wood, his cock now fully hard and beautifully pink, moving against his stomach with every panted breath. Julian bends again to swipe his tongue over Noel's chest, grinding in deep. "Fuck," he pants, "fuck me, daddy, harder." 

Julian moves back up, planting his hands on Noel's hips. "Touch yourself," he growls, snapping his hips when Noel complies. Noel slides his other hand into his hair, fingernails scraping against his scalp. He's torn between wanting to stay alert, cataloguing every one of Julian's thrusts for later, his intense expressions, his groans, and letting himself go, dissolving completely in the feeling of Julian fucking him how he's only dreamed.

He gives in, letting the sensations flood his body, bracing himself on the tabletop as tubes of paint and brushes roll and clatter onto the tiled floor below. Julian's pace is nearly frantic now. He dips down to suck at Noel's collarbone, the same spot from earlier. "Mark me," Noel hisses. "Bite me, daddy, please." His tie drags across Noel's stomach, the silk brushing across his cock; he moans and curls his toes, ankles crossed behind Julian's back. 

"Daddy," he whines, Julian filling him so perfectly, the suction and scrape of Julian's teeth on his skin sending him closer and closer. "Fuck me, please, fuck me. Please, I need to come, I need to come now, daddy-" 

His hand is out of his own hair and tangling into Julian's, desperate to come and to feel Julian pulse inside of him. Julian doesn't slow; he sucks at Noel's chest and snaps his hips once, twice, a third time and then Noel's spilling over his fingers with a sob of relief. 

"Julian," he pants when he's floundering in the shallows of his orgasm, "come, come, come," pressing kisses to his jaw and his cheek. Julian groans into his mouth, pushing forward into him. His rhythm stutters and he buries his face in Noel's neck, moaning his name as he comes. Noel cradles his head, shivering at the tender tone in Julian's voice, the thrilling buzz of his name burning against his skin. 

They stay there, just breathing, Noel stroking the back of Julian's head, scratching gently at his scalp, until one of the last brushes on the table rolls off the side and taps onto the floor. Julian presses his lips to Noel's neck and helps him sit up. His wolfish grin from earlier is gone; his smile is soft and slightly teasing. He tucks a bit of Noel's hair back behind his ear and nods at the polished wood. 

"Was that you squeaking towards the end, or was it the table?"

Noel giggles, batting at Julian's stomach, gripping fistfuls of his rumpled, sweaty shirt. He hops down gingerly, the tiles cool against his bare feet, stretching his neck and shoulders. He half-turns and grins at the sweaty imprint he's left behind, at the lube-smudged swipes of Julian's fingerprints on the wood, the crushed page of his sketchbook. 

Julian drags his pants and trousers up and lifts him again. He curls around Julian's torso, burying his head in his neck, smelling his warm, comforting Julian scent. He lets Julian carry him to the bathroom, cuddling against him as he runs a hot bath. He smiles when Julian adds bubbles. 

When the water slides against his limbs, it feels like silk. His eyes fall closed involuntarily as he rests his head back on the lip of the tub. "Julian?" 

"Hmm?" He brushes Noel's sweaty fringe away from his forehead. 

"D'you mind making dinner? No way I'm gonna be able to. Probably won't be able to do much for at least a week after that. Maybe two. Two and a half at the most." 

He's grinning; he can tell Julian is too without opening his eyes. 

*

Julian leaves Noel soaking in the bath. He strips his dangling tie off and dials the number for pizza delivery. He sighs, waiting for the call to ring through, turning the tie over in his hands. Dry clean only and streaked with come. Julian shakes his head and grins.

He tidies the kitchen while he waits for his order to arrive. Noel's outfit goes straight into the washing machine, the junk mail scooped off the floor, sorted through and then binned. He picks up Noel's paints and brushes and then wipes the table down. It gives a definite squeak when he tests it. _Weekend project_ , he thinks, just as the delivery arrives. 

Julian fumbles in his pocket for his wallet and comes out with his balled-up tie as Noel pads into the kitchen naked and dripping, squeezing the water from his hair with a towel. His eyeliner's gone a bit melty under his eyes; he looks like a panda when he smiles at Julian and reaches up for a peck, hand dipping into Julian's other pocket for his wallet. He tugs at Julian's collar affectionately, sticking his wallet between his teeth as he swirls the towel around his waist. "I'll get it. Go have a shower; you're minging." 

Julian huffs a laugh. "Thanks. Is that really how you show your appreciation for the man who fucks you and then feeds you the best pizza in all of England?"

"The best pizza in all of England? The closest pizza to home, I think you'll find," Noel responds, wrinkling his nose. He stands on tiptoe to press a kiss to Julian's cheek. 

"Love you, Ju Ju," he breathes before padding down the hall.

*

Noel's half asleep in his lap on the sofa, eyelids fluttering closed as he tries to stay awake. He's well tired, full of pizza and thoroughly fucked out. Julian's long fingers stroking through his hair, raking gently through the bits that are still damp, aren't helping him stay awake. He sighs, cuddling closer to Julian's frame, fingers finding the bruise Julian sucked onto his collarbone. 

Julian stills his hands and clears his throat above him, fingers coming to rest on the back of Noel's hand. Noel's taught him so much in the time they've been together, brought Technicolor to his life, slinging color into gray, always bringing the light. Julian can't help but wish he'd listened to Noel earlier, given him all the things he wanted hard and fast when he'd asked for them. 

Slow and methodical lovemaking and fast and frantic fucking both have their benefits, but after tonight, he understands wanting someone so badly, remembers what it felt like to need to be wrapped up with them in the space of a breath. Still, he can't help feeling guilty, feeling like it was too much, like he was too rough, like he'd hurt him.

He clears his throat again. "Sorry," he murmurs. "Sorry I lost control earlier. I didn't mean to-"

Noel opens his eyes, curling his hand into Julian's. He sits up and presses into Julian's chest, burying his face in the scratchy warmth of Julian's neck. "What d’you mean?” he slurs. “It was genius, Ju Ju."

*

The next morning, Julian's crouched under the kitchen table, trying to pinpoint the joint that's causing the squeak. There's barely enough room for him with his head ducked low; he shifts and his shoulder hits the underside of the tabletop. His dusty toolbox is just out of reach behind him when he finds the source of the noise. 

He's getting ready to crawl out from under when Noel's bare feet and legs appear in his vision, toenails freshly polished black. Noel's face appears next as he peeks under the edge, hair falling over his face like a curtain.

"What you doin', hiding under there?" 

"Fixing the squeak. Hand me that screwdriver, in the box there," Julian says, motioning to his toolbox behind him. "It's got a blue handle, I think." Noel's feet disappear for a minute. There's the sound of metal on metal, tools being shifted around, and then Noel makes a little noise, one of interest and surprise.

A hammer slides across the floor, resting at Julian's left hand, and various other implements reach his right, some that he doesn't even know how to begin to use, but no screwdriver. Noel's hands curl into the band of Julian's jeans a second after; his breath is warm against the bare stripe of skin at Julian's back. His tongue comes out to swipe at the dimples there. Julian nearly hits his head on the underside of the table this time. 

"Come on, the screwdriver, please," he says. He tries to keep the smile on his face out of his voice.

"Uh uh," Noel murmurs, the slide of his tongue along Julian's skin thorough, insistent. "Leave it," he says dreamily, hand coming around to Julian's zip. His fingers find their way inside, resting softly on the thin cotton of Julian's pants, on his rapidly filling cock. The table squeaks again as he moves involuntarily at Noel's touch, both shoulders pressing against the wood. 

“A reminder," Noel breathes.

Julian grins. A reminder. He gives in, shoves the tools out of the way, sprawls out and lets Noel clamber on top of him. He's just as beautiful with the unpolished wood of the underside of the table framing his pale skin. 

They both win in the end, sweaty and pressed together on the tiled kitchen floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. No amusing goof ups for this chapter, believe it or not. We enjoyed writing and reading this one, and we hope you did too. If you liked the dark daddy section, then get ready for the sequel to this fic (coming to an AO3 near you, as soon as we write it).


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noel finishes school, and Julian takes him on a dream trip. 
> 
> (And they have lots of sex.)
> 
> The first fun sexy times scene in this chapter is for the wonderful, amazing Terrantalen, who pre-read lots of bits of this fic, and gave us fantastic feedback, and is just generally The Best. We adore you!

With his very last class finished, Noel was thrilled and ready to get home and celebrate as soon as Julian arrived through the door. He had swung by his studio to collect some of his things first and had found the beautiful bouquet of flowers almost immediately as he had slung his bag off and flipped the lights on.

A gasp of excitement rippled through his chest as he surveyed the arrangement of deep red roses. _Julian’s outdone himself with these_ he was thinking before he spotted the elegant silver envelope tucked into the delicate flowers. He read the plane tickets with his heart doing cartwheels. 

Paris. 

All the art and the fashion and the romance. Again, Julian was giving him something he had always wanted.

A knock at the studio door had shaken him out of his daydreams. The world had gone fuzzy as he opened the door to Julian’s smiling face. It was nearly all too much for Noel to take in. Julian had laughed as Noel launched himself into his arms. “Ju, Paris?!” 

Julian’s arms squeezed around his waist. “It’s only fair for a graduate to do a little traveling around Europe. See the architecture, stay in manky hostels, live off Pot Noodle and stale bread….” 

Noel cackles against his chest. “Only joking. Wait til you see the hotel,” Julian continues. “So fancy, you won’t know if you’re taking a shower or being scrubbed down by tiny French cherubs.” Noel cackles even louder. “That’s well weird. I’ll just stay home,” he gasps, his voice breaking with mirth. 

Julian’s voice evens out, loses its teasing edge. “Really, it’s a nice hotel. I can’t wait to take you.” He pauses, his voice going a little sheepish. “I’ve wanted to take you for months. Been in the back of my mind since, uh. Well, since the first morning we spent together.” 

Noel thinks back, remembers his face buried against Julian’s neck, the grip of Julian’s hand tight around his cock as he pumped his hips forward. He can hear the tone of Julian’s voice asking him where he’d want to travel. 

“Always wanted to go to Paris,” he murmurs, smiling at Julian before darting up to cup his face and kiss him slow and deep.

*

Their first day passes quickly with sightseeing. They drop their things off at the hotel first, Noel bouncing on the bed so bright and cheerfully that Julian almost suggests they spend the afternoon in their room. They take in a small art gallery that’s nearby instead, have a quick lunch at a cafe, and wander through a tiny park. 

At dinner, they’re finishing up dessert, the hum of other diners swirling around them, when Julian leans over to whisper to Noel, “I can’t wait to be inside you.” Noel nearly chokes on his creme brulee, going wide-eyed at Julian’s gaze and the way he casually states it out loud, as if he was asking Noel to pass the salt. 

Julian shrugs. He’s been charmed by Noel all day, his enthusiasm for the art and the romanticism of it all; his happy energy leaving Julian buzzing off of him.

Noel swallows and puts down his spoon.

“Let’s get the check, Ju.”

Julian leaves several bills and they’re out of the door before the waiter comes back with his change.

*

They tumble through the door of the posh hotel room already wrapped up in each other before Julian can even slide the “do not disturb” sign on the door and let it slam behind them.

They had barely made it through the cab ride together without making too much of a show. Well, Noel _had_ been whispering all the things he wanted Julian to do to him once they were alone, his lips ghosting against his ear while Julian subtly massaged the bulge hidden beneath Noel’s coat. 

_You have to make the most of Paris when you’re here_ , Julian had thought sheepishly when he had briefly made eye contact with the cabbie in the mirror as Noel let his tongue dart out to trace the shell of his ear; his black hair falling to hide most of his face, but not his mischievous smile. Julian had tipped generously. 

Noel’s hands are everywhere, stripping Julian’s shirt off of his shoulders and undoing his belt. He barely steps out of his shoes before Noel’s naked in the center of the huge, plush bed, lube in hand. He tugs at the strand of beads around his neck, fingers tangling where he’s knotted them close to his throat. He drops the lube and gives it one more try to take them off, stretching to expose the long line of his throat before dropping the beads back on his chest, impatient to get started. He snatches his coat off of the floor instead and takes a black silk scarf out of the pocket, one he’d bought in a little shop by the park that afternoon. He holds it out to Julian, his eyes wicked.

“Daddy, blindfold me.” 

When Julian doesn’t move, he waves the scarf at him, draping it over his shoulder as he curls a hand around his cock and starts to stroke. “Come on, blindfold me. Come touch me, make me feel good,” he pants. 

The first little moan that falls from his lips has Julian across the room and kneeling on the bed, knotting the scarf around his head. Noel grins as Julian scoops him up, winding his arms around Julian’s neck as he lies back on the bed. Noel straddles him, his cock rubbing against Julian’s stomach. His kisses are urgent, his fingers digging into Julian’s shoulders. 

He shivers when he hears Julian uncap the lube. He moans a long, low “ohhhhh” at the first touch of Julian’s hand to his cock. 

“Tell me how it feels,” Julian says. “I want to know how everything feels.”

Noel sits up, stretching out the length of his small body atop Julian, arching his back to push his hips against Julian’s hand working his cock. “Mmm, daddy, your hand is so big, just right against my cock. Feels so good.” Noel is so keyed up already and the sensation of Julian’s touch is amplified by the scarf, of not being able to anticipate where his hands are moving. He holds onto the blindfold with one hand and fingers the pearly beads around his neck, pulling them up into his mouth to suck on them as Julian pumps him.

Julian is just enjoying the view of Noel’s lithe body moving in rhythm with his hand on his leaking cock. He reaches his other hand to slide up Noel’s taut stomach to circle a nipple with a barely there touch, feeling the bud harden beneath his finger. Noel blindly arches into his touch. “Tell me what you want, baby.” Julian coos, letting his other thumb drag along the sensitive slit of his cock. 

Noel shudders and bucks his hips forward, biting down on the string of the beads as he speaks. “Wanna come. Want you to make me come, daddy. _Ahhhh_ ,” he exhales as Julian teases his slit again. The beads fall out of his mouth as he rolls his neck, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. “Make me come and then fuck me.” 

Julian runs a hand up his body again and Noel moans as Julian tugs on the strand of beads, pulling him down for a wet open mouthed kiss. Their tongues slide together and Julian hums as he strokes him harder, tighter, faster, delighting in the moans Noel makes. He’s close when he grabs for Julian’s shoulder. “Daddy, talk to me. Wanna hear you. Need to hear your voice.” 

“Mm, baby, you’re so perfect like this.” He runs his hand up along the ripple of Noel’s ribs and back down. “Your body is beautiful on top of mine.” Noel moans loudly at this, running a hand over his face and the soft silk of the blindfold. Noel raises himself up again to tangle a hand into the beads and pull at them as if trying to anchor himself to anything to keep from being lost to all the pleasure. 

Julian runs his hand along Noel’s thick thigh, up to grip his hip, hand still working. Julian knows he’s coming undone, can feel it in his legs tightening around him, the insistence of his thrusts into his hand. He pumps him with a little more force and says, “Want you to come for daddy so I can come inside you.” He feels Noel’s body shudder and then with a gasp he spills onto his hand, chanting Julian’s name, scrambling to meet his mouth.

Julian eases him down to lie on his chest, rubbing circles into Noel’s back. He slips the blindfold off, raking his hand through Noel’s soft locks. His eyes are open, huge and fuzzy as he blinks them back into focus. 

“That was genius, Ju Ju,” he breathes, squirming to settle against Julian’s body. His hands move in the sheets, searching. Julian chuckles when he comes up with the tube of lube, and still panting, presses it firmly into Julian’s hand. He rolls off of Julian and arse in the air, elbows him. 

“Come on, get me ready.” Julian laughs. “Eager, aren’t you?” 

Noel props his head up on his arms, his expression playful. “Skipped dessert for this, didn’t I? Better make it good, daddy.” By the time Julian has him open and ready, Noel’s quivering with anticipation and half hard. As he slicks himself, Noel rearranges so he’s on his back, legs spread. Julian’s ready to sink into him, but he still can’t resist a little teasing, grabbing Noel behind the knees and rubbing the head of his cock against his hole. 

“Sure you wanna go again, love?” He slips the tip in, just to watch the muscles in Noel’s stomach slide and tense. 

Noel bites his bottom lip, a grin forming on his lips as he wriggles his arse and slides forward just enough to inch him in a little more. He watches as Julian’s eyes flutter closed briefly from the feeling of Noel’s body taking him in. He sees his restraint wavering, so he flicks his tongue along his lip, pokes it into his cheek wickedly before he purrs, “I don’t know, daddy.” He clenches around him, watching Julian’s eyes flutter again. “I think there’s still room for improvement.” 

Julian holds back his moan but exhales a little shaky breath, taking control back. His lips form into a wolfish grin as he slides all the way in, filling Noel completely, stretching him, and asks, “What room for improvement, love?” Noel’s chuckle gets lost and fades into a sigh as he adjusts to Julian inside of him. 

Julian eases almost all the way back out, then back in slowly, inch by inch as Noel meets him. Noel sighs again, curling his legs loosely around Julian’s back when he leans down to pinch at his nipple. He feels incredible around Julian’s cock, tight and hot and taking him so perfectly, Julian knows he won’t last very long. Still, he’s going to give Noel his best. He always does. 

Julian dips down further, pressing himself in deep, biting at Noel’s lip and grinning like mad. “Go on, touch yourself,” he says against Noel’s lips, voice husked, pleasure starting to buzz along the back of his neck and down his spine. He leans back up and thrusts a little faster, spurred on at the sight of Noel stroking his pretty pink cock to fullness. He closes his eyes, rocking his hips into Noel, delighting in the noises he’s making, his whimpers mixing with Julian’s own low moans and the sound of his fist around his slick cock. 

The feeling right before he comes is exquisite, Noel tightening his muscles around him, moaning Julian’s name as pleasure spreads like fire through his veins. His breath catches in his chest and then he’s spilling inside of him, thrusting through it as Noel’s hand tightens on his cock, squeezing himself as he watches Julian’s face. 

As Julian finishes and stills inside of him, Noel’s hand comes up to cup Julian’s face. “Wait,” he swallows, blinking his eyes, “wait, Julian. Reste… reste encore un peu.” 

His hand starts to move on his cock again as he clenches around Julian’s softening cock one last time, still inside him. Julian watches his mouth fall open and feels his hips jerk forward as he comes between them. 

He can’t help but sink down and kiss him.

*

Julian breathes the smell of fresh brewed coffee and fresh baked sweets in deep as the lady at the counter boxes up his pastries. It’s a blustery rainy morning in the city; a perfect day for a lie-in, but he had awoken early, still not used to the time change. 

He had spotted the patisserie the day before and decided he would much rather walk for a well made cup of coffee than suffer through hotel lobby fare. Of course, he couldn’t pass up the sweets for Noel, who he had left behind tangled in blankets and snoring so thoroughly that he hadn’t worried to let him know where he was headed. No way he was waking up any time soon. 

Instead, Julian had surveyed the display case and decided, well, maybe one of everything; colorful macarons and delicate madeleines, and pastries that Julian weren’t even sure of their names. His boy is worth it and they will surely enjoy every bit of it. 

Noel raises his head just enough to spot Julian coming through the door juggling two coffees and his box of treats. He is already reaching for a cup and straining his neck Julian’s way with pouty lips as he sets the box down on the bed. Julian smiles as he kisses him. “‘Morning, sunshine.” 

Noel eyes are still half closed as he ruffles his hair and takes a long sip of his mocha. The first drink seems to revive him enough to realize what’s in the box. He stretches his hands over his head and the blankets fall away to reveal a long line of skin and an enticing trail of hair beginning at his navel and leading below. Julian watches the bumps of his spine as he leans forward to grab for the treats. 

He sips his coffee and peels his wet raincoat off, tossing it onto a chair as he steps out of his shoes. Noel’s still bent over, sifting through the layers of pastries, when Julian runs his fingertips down his back. 

“Since you missed out on finishing dessert last night,” he says. Noel grins at him, a little loose around the edges from sleep, and scoots over. “C’mon, Ju Ju. Breakfast in bed,” he says, patting the blankets next to him. 

He shakes his head when Julian tries to sit down next to him in his shirt and trousers. “Dress code at this tea party, then?” Julian asks, his tone light. “Uh huh,” Noel responds through a mouthful of eclair. He strips off the rest of his clothing and leaves it in a pile by the side of the bed, plucking a croissant out of the box that Noel has resting on his lap. It’s not every day he gets to be extravagant, and he plans to make the most of it.

All the kisses he leans over to steal from Noel are sweet. Sweeter than usual, really, laced with icing sugar and his happy grin. He giggles in the middle of a string of little pecks, a dot of raspberry filling from a petit four falling onto his stomach, just below his belly button. 

Julian pulls back and reaches for the napkins he’d set on the side table. He leaves his coffee there instead, moving the box of sweets out of the way and leaning over Noel, darting his tongue out to lick at the jam. Noel laughs above him, giddy. 

“What’s gotten into you?” 

Julian licks a broad swipe down his stomach in response, the sparse hair there rough against his tongue.

Noel laughs again and wiggles as Julian points his tongue and teases again along the trail, stopping to grin up at him. Noel traces a finger over his nose, then his cheek. 

“This your plan? Get me drunk on sweets and take advantage of me?” 

Julian just grins wider, letting his thumb trace a hip and dip along smooth skin just below the blanket. Noel falls back on the pillows dramatically, “Not a good plan though, _mon loulou_.” He puffs out his tummy. “I’m well full. No moving me, I’ll burst.” 

Julian runs his hands over his stomach thinking _still so tight and flat and tiny_ as he trails kisses behind his touches. He finally moves the blanket back to reveal Noel’s cock and sucks at a patch of skin just above the base which earns him a twitch. Julian arches an eyebrow up at him. Noel groans as if he’s disappointed his cock can’t behave, but he raises his hips just enough to say don’t stop. 

Julian coaxes, “It’s alright, just lie back and leave it to me, yeah?” 

“Alright,” Noel breathes, settling his shoulders against the pillows piled at the headboard. “Help me burn off this sugar high. Don’t wanna go out today. Wanna spend the rest of the day here, relaxing with you.” His hand falls to the back of Julian’s head as he dots kisses along Noel’s hips, moving back to trace his happy trail with long, thorough licks that leave Noel fidgeting underneath him. 

When Julian moves to take him in his mouth, Noel’s hands go to his hips, fingertips pressing into his skin. He’s trying to stay still as Julian works, but his shoulders are moving against the pillows and his feet are sliding in the sheets. Julian takes him as deep as he can, and covers Noel’s tiny hands with his huge ones, holding him there as he sucks him until he’s squirming and panting. 

When he pulls off to give them both some breathing room, licking along the underside of Noel’s cock, he lets go of Noel’s hands for a minute, loosening his grip. Noel laces their fingers together. His smile is soft and dreamy, his breathing coming faster than his calm expression would suggest.

They stay locked in a gaze as Julian laps at him. Noel’s hand squeezes tighter against Julian’s as he takes him deep again, sucking as he pulls off. Noel keeps their fingers entwined but brings them up together to drag across his stomach, up to his chest, letting Julian’s knuckles dance across his skin as heat builds low in his tummy. He moans a breathy “Julian…” as he swirls his tongue around the head of his cock. 

Still grasping at Julian’s hand on one hip, he lets go of the other to softly trail his finger over the hollow of Julian’s cheek. He moans as he feels himself slide inside Julian’s cheek as he slowly takes Noel all the way back in. Julian lets out a low groan and Noel hisses at the sensation. 

Noel’s hand falls away as Julian increases his speed and bobs along his cock with just the right amount of pressure to have him seeing stars. Noel gasps, “Ju-yin, I’m close. Fuck.” Julian builds his rhythm and reaches to grasp at Noel’s arse, raising him off the bed slightly to angle him just right to take him as deep as he can, swirling his tongue as he goes. Noel whimpers and digs his nails into Julian’s fingers at his hip. 

Julian squeezes his arse as he angles him again to slide him to the back of his throat. He hears Noel gasp and then he’s drinking him down, licking and pumping the base until he knows he is completely done. Their hands are still joined at Noel’s hip, his fingers massaging at Julian’s thumb as Noel lies back to ride out his orgasm and regain his senses.

*

Julian untangles himself from the sheets and presses a kiss to the top of Noel’s head where he’s resting on the pillow, lashes thick and dark against his pink cheeks. The sky outside is gray and rain is drizzling down the window; the perfect day to stay in and catch up on sleep before exploring the city tomorrow. Hopefully when it’s sunny. 

Julian stretches and walks to their bathroom, fiddling with the taps on the tub and rummaging through the small bottles on the shelves overhead. Sure enough, tucked between almond infused shampoos and milk and honey body washes, the hotel staff has been kind enough to leave him a bottle of Noel’s favorite bubble bath, as he’d requested when he’d booked the hotel a month earlier. 

Noel pads into the bathroom before Julian has to go back out and wake him, scrubbing sleepily at his face. He comes over to stand with his cheek pressed against Julian’s shoulder, absorbing his body heat as he wakes. 

“Fancy a soak?” Julian asks. Noel yawns against his skin. “You joining me?” he says.

He’s asked Julian to have a bubble bath with him time and again, but the tub in the flat is on the smaller side. Julian hates turning him down, but it’s uncomfortable and cramped; he doesn’t even use the tub by himself, and it’s the one thing that Noel can pout about without Julian giving in.

“Yep,” Julian responds. “This one’s actually big enough.” 

He feels Noel beam against his back before he turns the taps off and slides into the warm water.

Julian reaches up to softly grasp Noel’s leg before he swings it over the tub edge and slips in with a sigh against Julian’s chest. He slides until he’s nearly covered to the chin, bubbles catching on his nose before he lifts up. 

“You’ve used my favorite, Ju Ju. This is so nice.”

Breathing out another sigh, he relaxes against the older man, angling so that he can softly kiss Julian’s jaw, then he grabs a flannel and runs it over his face, washing away yesterday’s eye makeup he hadn’t bothered to do the night before. 

Julian smiles happily, the warm water and feel of Noel solid against his chest relaxing him into a blissful state. He closes his eyes and focuses on the sound of the water sloshing as Noel cleans, the softness of the bubbles kissing his skin. 

Noel softly runs his hands over Julian’s legs on either side of him and he hums with the pleasure of it all. He wraps an arm around Noel’s chest, letting his hand fall to just above his heart and leans forward a little to rest his head on top of his. 

They stay like that for a while, quiet and relaxed in the water until the bubbles slowly start to dissipate. Finally, as the temperature starts to cool and Noel starts to fidget Julian brings a hand up to weave through the half wet strands of Noel’s hair and murmurs, “Want me to help?” 

Noel pours the shampoo into Julian’s hand before he quickly dips down to wet the rest. The feeling of Julian’s long fingers rubbing circles into his scalp lulls Noel into a drowsy half sleep. 

“Don’t start snoring now,” Julian teases, cupping his hands to rinse the suds away. “I won’t,” Noel answers, blinking himself back awake. “I mean, I don’t.” 

“Alright,” Julian giggles. 

He dunks his head back and shakes his wet hair out of his eyes, reaching to condition Noel’s locks as he scrubs at Julian’s scalp with a handful of sweet, almondy shampoo. He fakes a few long snores when Noel leans back to rinse the conditioner out of his hair and lets Noel splash at him as payback. 

When they’re rinsed off and wrapped in plush hotel robes, back in bed, Noel rests his head on Julian’s chest. His hair is damp and smells sweet, soft against Julian’s throat. He runs his hands into Julian’s sleeves as far as he can get them. “What else d’you have planned?” he drawls, tugging at the fabric. “What else is up them thick sleeves?”

Julian shrugs. “Nothing, really. Quiet afternoon in. Watch some crap French telly, order some room service, rest up before tomorrow.” His tone is too light; Noel lifts his head and eyes Julian’s face until he relents. “We’re having someone over to put a larger tub in the flat before we get back.”

Noel’s eyes widen in disbelief, “You’re joking.” Julian just shrugs with that wolfish grin on his face. “I told you, I want to give you everything.” Noel laughs, a little incredulous. “You’re unbelievable.” He says as he shakes his head and buries his face into Julian’s neck. He always gets a little shy when Julian spoils him like this. He still isn’t quite sure this isn’t all a big dream. “What if I asked for a unicorn…. who rides a unicycle?” 

Julian chuckles, “I’d come up with something.” Noel laughs against his skin, “I’m sure you would.” 

He rearranges to sprinkle playful pecks across his face, working down to his lips. They kiss for a while until Noel breaks for air and smiles, “Love you, Ju.” No doubt Julian loves this Noel; all big blue eyes, happy and excited with his hair lying damply around his forehead and so fresh faced with no hint of makeup. He is glowing, beautiful like this. “I love you, Noel.” 

Noel kisses him again sweetly, slowly. Then he’s scrambling off Julian to rifle through his makeup bag. Throwing some jars of moisturizer and lotion on the bed, he excitedly asks, “Maybe it’s time for me to pamper you a little now?” 

Julian lets Noel sit on his chest and rub moisturizer into his face until the rain starts pounding at the window. Then, he tosses both of their robes onto the foot of the bed, tangles their limbs together, and pulls Noel to his chest to sleep.

*

The next day is bright and sunny, perfect for walking around town and exploring. Julian takes his time getting ready and lets Noel sleep in a bit, then wakes him so he can prepare for the day. He nips back to the patisserie for a couple of cups of coffee, and Noel’s nearly ready by the time he gets back. “This must be a new record,” Julian teases, picking through the leftover pastries from yesterday. 

Noel’s cheeks flush a bit as he wiggles into a t-shirt. Julian knows he’s excited to get back out and see the city. He pulls on the first pair of jeans he has stacked in his suitcase, rummages for socks, and zips his boots with a pastry half-hanging out of his mouth. He hasn’t touched his coffee yet; he motions his head to the door and Julian knows he wants to drink it as they walk around the city.

They duck in and out of several small galleries, stopping to appreciate the art. Noel reaches into Julian’s jacket pocket for pen and paper and jots down artist’s names that he’s interested in. At lunchtime, they wander through an open-air market and buy odds and ends to snack on, anything that looks bright and appealing. The afternoon passes in a string of old bookshops, Noel approaching the counter with an armful of art books at the same time Julian walks up with a stack of classic novels. 

The rest of the week passes quickly, with planned day trips to art museums to see paintings and sculptures the both of them have only seen in textbooks and on telly before, and reservations at restaurants that are top rated by the hotel’s concierge. 

After one morning of shopping in a cluster of little boutiques, they take a cab to the Pont des Artes. Noel beams when Julian produces a padlock from his jacket pocket and clips it onto the bridge. He kisses Noel gently and slips the key into his hand. “Go on,” he motions. 

Noel reaches up on tiptoes for one more kiss before he tosses the key into the water below.

*

When Noel had been handed a flyer advertising the art showing tonight with a flurry of French, Julian knew that’s where they would be heading after dinner. He is perfectly content to wander through sipping the free champagne. Although he's not quite as versed as Noel he can still appreciate the beauty of it all. 

Noel of course is walking on air as he strides through this particularly beautiful gallery hall bursting with colorful canvases. He loves discovering new artists, networking, and admiring other people’s work. Julian watches him as he chews on his finger and twirls a piece of his hair while he thoughtfully studies a piece. 

He had surprised Julian this evening, emerging for dinner wearing a deep purple slip dress, black fishnet stockings with silver boots and his long raven hair held back off his face with a silver headband. “A romantic night in Paris, yeah?” he had replied simply. Julian had whistled appreciatively as he twirled, showing off.

Julian had his suspicions back at the hotel, watching Noel move, watching the drape of the fabric on his small frame. Noel had hurried them out of the room before he could confirm anything, though, eager to get to dinner and then back to the street the gallery was on. He’d watched Noel tuck his skirt around his legs demurely in the back of the cab, getting out at the restaurant just as carefully as he’d gotten in. 

He’s clearly fidgety after dinner, spreading his legs a bit in the backseat after they hail another cab for the drive to the gallery. “You alright?” Julian asks him, adjusting his collar and fiddling with the buttons on his jacket. Noel just gives him a little smile and a nod in response, fishing in Julian’s jacket pocket for the lipgloss he’d stashed there. 

Now, in a quiet corner of the gallery, his finger sticky with lipgloss as he appreciates the work in front of him, Julian sees his chance to find out exactly what else Noel is wearing under his skirt. 

He slips an arm around Noel’s waist, his head dropping to rest on Julian’s shoulder. “See anything you like?” Julian asks. “Mmmm,” Noel hums, “plenty. We should come back here before we leave, take another look around.” His voice is pensive as he chews the tip of his nail. “I’d like to exhibit in a place like this someday.” 

Julian nods, guiding Noel to rest his head on his chest. “You will. I’m sure.” His hands fall to the curve of Noel’s waist, running down to his hips, coming to rest on the small of his back. Noel goes very still when they smooth over his arse. 

“You’re only supposed to look, Ju, you’re not supposed to touch,” he breathes. He doesn’t pull back, though; Julian can hear the smirk in his voice. 

“Is that the rule for all the artwork on display here?” Julian smirks back. He can tell quite clearly now, what’s not underneath Noel’s skirt from just a touch. The way the material slides over the curves of his arse, Julian knows he hasn’t got on a stitch underneath. 

Noel turns to give him a devilish smile that darkens his eyes, “While they’re in this gallery, yes.” He tenderly touches Julian’s lapel as if to adjust it. “Best not break the rules.” Then he saunters away, leaving Julian nearly slack jawed as he does his best cat walk, silver boots in line, hips wiggling to pull at the material just enough to make out the movement of his arse below. Julian tries to blame the champagne but he knows his own feral reaction is based solely on the thought of Noel’s wildly immodest cock bare just beneath that incredibly short hemline. 

He spends the rest of the evening pretending to look at anything but his boyfriend’s arse as Noel chats in broken French to some of the other patrons. Julian heaves a sigh of relief as he watches him give his regards to the artist. Surely that must mean he’s ready to go. 

Noel’s face is completely neutral as he takes Julian’s hand to head for the door and hail a cab. Julian watches the skirt ruffle in the wind before he opens the car door and Noel slides in smoothly before him. Just before Julian gets in, Noel meets his eye and cheekily slides the hem just an inch or so higher up his thigh, revealing where his black thigh highs end and his creamy white skin begins. 

Julian is tempted to lean over and whisper in his ear, ask him if the rules still apply in the back of a cab. He waits until they’re in the elevator, a few floors below their room, getting ready to clear his throat and speak when Noel pulls Julian’s hands underneath his skirt. Noel’s voice goes wavery at the feeling of Julian’s hands on his bare skin. 

“What you waiting for, Ju-yin?”

He fumbles the door to their room open, Noel pressed solidly to his back. Julian lifts him, his legs wrapped around Julian’s waist before the door clicks shut. His hands are cupping Noel’s bare arse, fingertips pressing into his skin, his tongue sucked deep into Noel’s mouth as he leans against the door. 

Noel breaks the kiss and starts reaching for his clothing, flinging his headband off first. It lands on a small table in the center of the room, next to a vase thick with flowers. He starts on the buttons of Julian’s shirt one handed, trying to reach behind to get at the zipper of his dress at the same time. 

“C’mon Ju, get us out of these clothes,” he pants. Julian grips his arse and noses at his downturned face until he meets Julian’s gaze, eyes half-lidded. 

“No,” Julian states. “Leave it on. I want to see you in that dress.” 

Noel lets out a moan of confusion as Julian carries him past the bed, instead setting him down on the floor near the table. Noel is about to get stroppy when Julian gives a pointed look at the mirror opposite. He says nothing as Julian turns him around and runs his hand slowly down his spine before he softly pushes at the small of his back, a gentle urging with a lot of intent. 

Noel’s eyes are wicked, never leaving Julian’s in the mirror as he plants his hands on the edge of the table and bends. Julian takes him by the hips from behind and Noel whimpers, spreads his legs and arches so that his arse rubs insistently against Julian’s clothed cock. 

Julian takes his time, undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt as Noel moves his hips wordlessly begging for attention. After he’s shirtless he finally bends to run his fingers over Noel’s fishnets at the back of his knees, up his thigh, raising the skirt as he goes. He hums as he hooks a finger in the top of each thigh high as if to pull them down, but moves his hand instead to finally raise the skirt to reveal the curve of Noel’s bare arse cheeks. 

Noel curses, begs. “Ju touch me, fuck me, anything.” Julian smiles, reaches around to lift the fabric and just tease a soft touch at Noel’s thick cock before he lets the fabric drop back down. 

Noel groans, letting his forehead drop to the surface of the table. The clink of Julian undoing his belt pulls his full attention back to the mirror immediately. He watches as Julian slowly undoes the buckle and unbuttons himself, stepping out of his trousers and pants and giving himself a slow stroke as he again slides a hand up his dress to massage at his arse. 

“You’re so pretty, baby. Wanted to take you like this right there.” 

Noel whines low in the back of his throat, moving until he feels Julian’s cock pressing against the netting on his thigh. “We’re here now, now you can,” he babbles, spreading his legs wider. He curls his fingers into the table when Julian moves away to get the lube from the bedside table. His breath leaves puffs of disappearing condensation on the polished surface of the table. 

Noel feels his entire body shiver when Julian sets the tube down next to where he’s propped himself up, anticipation rippling over his skin before Julian’s palm skates over his back. He exhales sharply when Julian rucks his skirt up around his waist in one smooth movement, running a finger down his spine, down the cleft of his arse. His fingers are already wet and Noel sighs with relief, closing his eyes as Julian presses a fingertip to his hole. 

Julian drapes himself over Noel’s back, slowly and methodically working his way inside him. When his first finger breaches Noel, he leans to nip at his ear. 

“Ouvre tes yeux,” he whispers. 

His gaze is heavy on Noel’s face when he opens his eyes and sees their reflection in the mirror. Noel feels his knees go a little weak at the image of his small frame under Julian’s big, broad body. He tries to fix it in his mind as Julian adds a second finger. 

Soon after, Julian starts whispering things to Noel that he can’t translate, things he didn’t learn in class. Noel knows the meaning behind them by the way Julian’s speaking and the way he’s moving, standing to line himself up. He has to bite his lip at the sight of Julian disappearing inside of him to keep from bringing his hand to his cock. 

Noel feels like he’s coming undone piece by piece as Julian holds him by the hips and takes him thrust by thrust; alternating between a few quick shallow thrusts and then pulling nearly all the way out. 

They both look in the mirror as he slowly slowly slides back in, each inch visibly disappearing inside and felt by Noel. He arches into it, his back curved, arse as high as he can get it, nearly on the tip of his toes; wanting it, all of it, as much as Julian can give him as deep as he can. 

Julian's hips stutter just a tick as Noel pushes back into him. He wants to slow it down, wants it to last just a little longer. Noel whines as he slides out all the way, reaching back to pull him back toward him, “Ju, please, god.” But Julian takes him by the hand and pulls him toward the bed and on top of him as he lies back. 

Noel sinks back onto him without hesitation, fishnet clad legs on either side of his thighs, his dress pooling over them both as he rocks on Julian’s cock. He leans forward, mouths at Julian’s jaw, not even able to find his mouth he’s so lost in it. Eyes fluttering shut, he sighs out “mon loulou…” and he feels Julian’s lupine grin spread across his face against his lips. 

Julian moves his hands behind to pull at the zipper of the dress, urges Noel, “Take it off baby. Let me see you.” He unzips the rest and Noel barely hesitates moving on his cock as he pulls it over his head. 

Noel’s warm body glistens with a fine layer of sweat and they both moan as Julian runs his hands over him. His fingers leave little ripples of heat as he grabs at his hip bones, glides over his stomach, and down his happy trail to finally take his cock in his hand. 

Noel bucks his hips forward involuntarily, thrusting into Julian’s fist, then back onto his cock. His fingers tangle in his hair, his other hand caught on his thigh, putting a run in his fishnets. He’s too lost to it to care, bouncing in Julian’s lap, urging them both forward to the edge. His thighs clamp around Julian as he grinds into him, his orgasm starting. His desperate cries of, “Daddy, ohhhh, daddy,” drown out the noise of the nylon ripping under his fingers. 

Noel moves back onto Julian, rocking his hips quickly, batting Julian’s hand off of his cock. He grasps Julian’s hand and squeezes, his release smeared between their fingers. A sharp “ah” falls from his lips before he urges, “Daddy, I need to feel you… come inside me, daddy.” 

He leans down and hooks a finger into Julian’s mouth, clenching around his cock as he sucks Noel’s finger clean and comes with a long, low moan. 

*

They get a late start on their last day in the city after a long week of touristing and specifically after the previous night’s excursions. After only a quick toweling off before passing out the night before, they had awoken tangled up in each other; Julian somehow wearing nothing but his socks and Noel still in his ripped thigh highs. Noel had giggled as he pulled them off before getting into the shower, his legs lined with the criss crossed patterns of the fishnets. 

He bounces out of the shower refreshed, pulling on a pair of satin purple trousers. Julian watches him choose a crisp white button up shirt, leaving a few unbuttoned at the top to reveal a string of beads at his throat. He raises an eyebrow though when Noel pulls a nice sensible blue sport jacket out of his bag. 

It looks as if it’s been tailored for his body, widening his shoulders just a bit and contouring into his tiny waist. Julian grins, “A sensible jacket?” 

Noel shrugs, his face reddening. “You asked me to buy one, Ju. Besides, Jagger wore an outfit like this. I needed one...” 

Julian chuckles. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat, Mick.”

*

At breakfast Julian had asked if there was anything left that Noel had wanted to do before they fly out in the morning. He had looked a little sheepish as he looked up through his lashes and asked, “You ever been to Cartier, Ju?” Julian is taken aback by this. 

“Yeah, I have actually.” He replies. He had been there on an anniversary trip with his ex-wife. He doesn’t elaborate and Noel doesn’t ask. Instead, he plays with the sugar packet on the table, avoiding Julian’s eye. 

“Hmm, well, I’ve thought about it because Mick Jagger liked to go there, yeah? Maybe it might be a cool thing to visit.” 

Julian chuckles to himself, because of course Noel would want to visit Cartier; only because Mick Jagger was photographed there. Not because it’s _Cartier._

He reaches for his wallet, laying a couple of bills on the table. He checks his watch, and makes a show of flipping through his credit cards. “I suppose we could,” he says slowly, watching the grin spread across Noel’s face. “I did call the bank and get my credit limit extended after your last shopping trip…” he trails off. 

Noel squeezes his hands across the table and leans over to kiss him. “Come on, then, let’s get a cab,” he finishes. He can’t help the grin that spreads across his own features.

*

Noel can barely keep his excitement contained in the cab over, his fingers curling around Julian’s sleeve as he pays the fare and they enter the boutique. They greet the neatly dressed woman behind the shop counter, and Julian walks around the space with him as he browses, completing a full circuit, Noel’s arm tucked into his. 

He steps over to an understated display on their second tour around the shop, polished silver and gold winking under tasteful spotlights, as Noel pauses in front of a case full of bracelets. The saleswoman steps over and Julian watches as they chat, gesturing at the simple, classy designs. He nods when Noel looks up at him, questioning, then returns his sunny smile. 

Another shop assistant comes out from the back as Noel’s busy trying on bracelets. He comes directly to where Julian’s standing. “Monsieur Barratt?” he asks in a quiet, discreet tone that matches his surroundings. 

Julian clears his throat, trying to put his heart back where it belongs. “Yes, that’s me.” He glances over his shoulder to make sure Noel’s still occupied, then slides the box that the man sets on the counter into his jacket pocket in one fluid movement. They exchange thank yous and Julian tries to remember how to breathe as he walks over to join Noel, his eyes sparkling as brightly as the silver band around his wrist. 

Julian congratulates himself when he remembers to pull his wallet out of his pocket, and not the box, as he hands the shop assistant his credit card to pay for Noel’s new bracelet. He congratulates himself when he remembers to pull their plane tickets and passports out of his pocket at the airport, and not the box. He congratulates himself when he remembers to pull the keys to the car and then the flat out of his pocket, and not the box. 

He carries the box around with him for three days after they get back from Paris and resettle into their routines. Then, he asks Noel if he’d like to take a trip to the zoo during one afternoon that weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. After the “buy yourself a sensible blazer” scene, a picture of Jagger wearing a sensible blazer with very cool, very contrasting pants popped up to bless us on Tumblr. We went, “we’re havin’ that,” wrote it in, and promptly forgot to explain why we did. Thanks, editing! Jagger also really did shop at Cartier in Paris, and pictures from that day inspired that ending scene.  
> 2\. Hi, it’s me, Katey, and I forgot that we had a second dress scene after starsonthebrow referenced it in conversation, as if I wasn’t a part of the writing of it. (Vince looks at the painting of the Secret Lab and fails to discover the location of the Secret Lab. Shrug.)  
> 3\. “Take me to Paris, daddy,” French 101:  
> “Ouvre tes yeux” - open your eyes  
> “Reste encore un peu” - stay here a little longer  
> “Mon loulou” - my wolf  
> 4\. We would just like to thank the sexy smut demon for possessing us during the writing process. So much so that upon the rereading we actually asked each other, “Who wrote this?”  
> 5\. Whattaya doin' still reading these get to the next chapter already!!


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A happy ending.

They stroll through the zoo, ice creams in hand as they revisit the familiar enclosures. The place where they first spotted each other, where they walked hand in hand before they knew what any of this was going to be. 

Julian thinks of what his life would be like right now if he hadn’t dropped into the zoo that day. Certainly it’d be a lot less colorful and a lot less happy. He’d most likely still be wandering around the zoo sadly by himself.

Sitting on their bench, just watching the flow of people and the animals nearest them Noel admits, “I thought you were well handsome… but definitely not into boys like me. Just, you know, the businessman thing.”

Julian laughs at him, squeezes his hand. “You flirted with me anyway though.” 

Noel grins, delicately moving a piece of hair away from his face. “It never hurts to try, does it?” 

“I couldn’t resist that tortoise mating call.” Julian states and Noel covers his face and groans. “I was nervous!” 

They both break into giggles. Julian’s body shakes with it, the happiness of just being here and feeling so grateful and loved. 

“We could go back to the reptile room, christen it real good now.” Noel suggests with a filthy gleam in his eye. Julian just shakes his head with a fond smile. The little box in his coat pocket seems to feel heavier and heavier the longer he waits. The nervousness in the pit of his belly grows with it. 

“Tell you what,” Noel says, slipping down on the bench to fish in the pocket of his jacket, “why don’t we get a couple more ice creams? For old times’ sake.” His pink tongue is tucked into the corner of his mouth when he pulls out a few crumpled bills. His bracelet flashes silver on his wrist in the weak afternoon sun as he holds the money out to Julian. 

Julian sees his chance and he takes it. 

He reaches over and folds Noel’s hand into his, kissing him softly and sweetly before getting up and starting to walk away. Noel opens his eyes and turns back to call to him that he’s forgotten the money. He giggles instead. Julian’s on the pavement in front of him. “Tell me you didn’t trip over your own feet again-” he starts to say, shoving the bills back in his pocket and reaching to help Julian up. 

Julian’s hand wraps around his wrist, around the bracelet. Julian’s touch is meant to keep him there on the bench, but it’s the look in his eyes that does that. Noel freezes as he spots Julian’s other hand, taking a tiny box out of his pocket. 

A ring box. 

All at once, Noel realizes that Julian hasn’t tripped. He’s kneeling.

Julian doesn’t have to say anything. He slips the ring onto Noel’s finger and Noel launches himself off the bench and knocks them both over onto the pavement. 

Julian manages to scoop him up and get them both back on the bench in between a flurry of kisses and Noel’s arms squeezing around his ribs so tightly he goes a bit lightheaded. 

(That’s the reason he felt so dizzy, he tells the guests at their reception later. It had nothing to do with anything he might have been feeling at the time, he tells them, Noel squeezing his hand and looking at him with his beautiful blue eyes full of love and emotion. Nothing at all, he deadpans, just to watch Noel smile.) 

Noel’s voice is crackling with energy, all excitement and disbelief and pure, unrestrained giddiness. “Julian,” he says, his name coming out half as a statement, half as a question. “Julian, I love you.”

Julian cups the back of his head and holds him close before pulling back. “I love you too, Noel.”

They kiss on their bench until the sun slips below the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoyed our daddy/boy toy odyssey, and thanks for reading and commenting! Stay tuned, because we still have adventures in store for these two in the future!


End file.
